2024

Gust

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Financial Modeling – Top Down or Bottom Up?

Gust

Yielding 10x growth or more, known as “hockey-stick growth,” remains the goal for many investors. But only one percent of startups become unicorns; in fact, most VC-backed companies don’t reach their expected rate of return. “That means 95% of founders—or more—are gonna have a bad time,” explains Rand Fishkin, the author of Lost and Founder, and co-founder of Moz and more recently of SparkToro.

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The Misleading Attractiveness of S Corp Elections

Gust

Investors prefer investing in Delaware C Corps which don’t allow founders to take personal tax losses for early expenses. Many founders are tempted to make an S-Corp election which allows a pass-through tax treatment similar to an LLC. While that could be a small short term gain in the early days, it can jeopardize a much larger tax free gain in the future ($10M+).

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The Quick Guide to Company Updates

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Are you producing and distributing regular company updates to your network? Here's why you should. The post The Quick Guide to Company Updates appeared first on Gust.

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Don’t Panic! Your pre-revenue startup doesn’t owe $85,165 in Delaware Franchise Taxes

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It’s Delaware Franchise Tax Season! If you’re incorporated in Delaware and you’re staring at a terrifying notice with the number $85,165.00 on it, don’t panic. It’s very likely that your startup only owes $400. Read on for details on how to refigure your bill, easily file your report, and reduce your stress in future years. The post Don’t Panic! Your pre-revenue startup doesn’t owe $85,165 in Delaware Franchise Taxes appeared first on Gust.

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Startup Strategies: The Strategic and Financial Significance of Intellectual Property

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Startups are often at the forefront of innovation, developing new technologies, products, and services that disrupt traditional industries and bring fresh ideas and approaches that drive technological advancements. In that regard, startups often rely heavily on their ideas, and the unauthorized replication of those ideas may result in a loss of control over the unique aspects of a startup’s offerings.

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Using Copyrighted Works in AI Training Data May Infringe Even if the AI Output Doesn’t

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Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence Inc., decided in the federal District Court in Delaware on September 25, 2023, asks the question whether a company can train its AI on a competitor’s copyrighted works in order to help it compete? What if the AI output does not infringe the competitor’s copyrights? The answer so far is “maybe,” but that the answer is not “no” adds to the hazards of using copyrighted works as training data.

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What to Do When You and Your Investors Are Not on the Same Page

Gust

Yielding 10x growth or more, known as “hockey-stick growth,” remains the goal for many investors. But only one percent of startups become unicorns; in fact, most VC-backed companies don’t reach their expected rate of return. “That means 95% of founders—or more—are gonna have a bad time,” explains Rand Fishkin, the author of Lost and Founder, and co-founder of Moz and more recently of SparkToro.