Chattanooga Startup Attorneys & Lawyers

Key Takeaways

• Startup valuation estimates a company’s worth, often before profitability, using both qualitative and quantitative factors.
• Unlike mature businesses, startups rely on market potential, innovation, and investor sentiment for valuation.
• Convertible instruments such as SAFEs and convertible notes often include valuation caps, protecting early investors from excessive dilution.
• Internal and external factors—like team strength, market size, growth trajectory, and competitive landscape—affect valuation outcomes.
• Common valuation methods include Venture Capital, Berkus, Scorecard, Risk Factor Summation, and Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models.

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Key Takeaways

• A strategic acquisition plan should align with growth goals such as new markets, talent, or technology.
• Building a multidisciplinary acquisition team ensures smooth financial, legal, and cultural integration.
• Thorough due diligence, including financial, operational, and cultural assessment, is crucial.
• Structuring the deal and securing financing are essential steps before finalizing the purchase.
• Post-acquisition integration is key to long-term success and synergy realization.

In the business world, companies merge all the time. Today startups are doing the same to expand and change the way they do business. An acquisition involves buying a company and changing it to fit the way you do business. The goal is to create a new company made of the best parts of your business and the proven parts of another.

A startup would buy another business for various reasons. These reasons include access to new techno

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Key Takeaways

• A condition subsequent is an event or circumstance that, once triggered, ends an existing contractual obligation.
• The purpose of a condition subsequent is to serve as an exit clause, protecting a party from unforeseen circumstances.
• A condition precedent is the opposite—something that must occur before contractual duties take effect.
• Condition subsequent clauses must be written with clear, precise language, as courts interpret them strictly.
• Common uses include real estate transactions, employment contracts, insurance agreements, and commercial deals.
• Parties must consider burden of proof, tim

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Key Takeaways

• Startups typically need an EIN (Employer Identification Number) for tax reporting, banking, hiring, and compliance.
• Even single-member LLCs or corporations without employees often benefit from getting an EIN early.
• Applying for an EIN is free and can be done online, by fax, or by mail, but online is the fastest.
• International founders can apply even without a U.S. SSN, typically by using Form SS-4 and calling the IRS.
• EINs are critical for startups to open bank accounts, apply for credit, pay employees, file taxes, and build business credit.

EIN: What is it?

EIN is an Employer Identification Number that serves as your business’ social security number. It is a unique 9-digit number that your business will use for all federal and state tax filings. This number is permanent throughout the life of the business unless ownership or legal structure is changed.

Why Startups Need an EIN

For sta

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