Founder equity decisions are one-way doors
The most expensive tax mistakes founders make happen years before exit — quietly, in paperwork that seemed optional at the time.
If this sounds familiar
Deadlines that don’t announce themselves
Equity elections and holding-period clocks often start the day you sign. Miss the window and there is no appeal — the cost surfaces at exit, multiplied.
Advice arrives after the term sheet
Most founders first sit down with a tax professional when a financing or exit is already in motion — exactly when the cheapest options have already expired.
Generalists don’t speak startup
Convertible instruments, secondaries, reorganizations, equity splits — many local accountants see these once a year. Your situation needs someone who sees them every week.
What you’re looking for — and what you’ll find here
Someone who has seen your cap table before
You’re matched with professionals who work with founder equity daily — elections, share-gain exemptions, secondary sales — not as an annual novelty.
To know what must happen now versus at exit
Your advisor lays out the sequence: what needs filing at grant, what qualifies over time, what to restructure before a financing — so nothing expires unnoticed.
Advice that scales with the company
Start with one scoped engagement. Your documents and history stay in one place, so every next round begins with context instead of a cold start.
At a glance
Typical engagements
- Filing founder equity elections
- Qualifying for small-business share gain exemptions
- Planning secondary sales
- Structuring founder equity splits
- Pre-financing reorganizations
Income types
Asset types
Ready to begin?
Join forward-thinking taxpayers who choose WhiteOwl for their tax needs.