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409A valuations
Board meeting Monday. Valuation delivered Friday.
An independent common-stock valuation your board can approve and the IRS will respect — with full workpapers, in 72 hours, priced before we start.
- 72-Hour SLA
- IRS-Defensible
- Board-Ready Report
What this entails
Option grants can’t wait six weeks.
Every time you grant options — to a new hire, an advisor, a founder top-up — the strike price must reflect fair market value under Section 409A. Get it wrong and your team faces immediate taxation plus a 20% penalty. Get it slowly and hiring stalls.
We run a full valuation engagement: financial analysis, comparable companies, backsolve or OPM allocation, DLOM, and a signed report with every assumption documented. The same rigor the Big Four use, scoped for venture-backed startups and delivered at startup speed.
What’s included
- Independent valuation report, board-ready with appendix workpapersAllocation method, comps, and DLOM fully documented.
- Cap table & financing reviewSAFEs, notes, and prior rounds modeled correctly.
- Audit-grade support fileEverything your auditors need, already assembled.
- 12-month validity guidanceKnow exactly which events trigger a refresh.
Process
From data request to signed report in three days.
Day 0
Send the packet
A short checklist — formation docs, cap table, financials, financing terms. Most founders finish it in under an hour.
Day 1–2
We model & review
Two analysts build the valuation independently, then a partner reconciles. Every filing is reviewed twice before it leaves the firm.
Day 3
Board & issue
You get the signed report plus a one-page board summary. Grants can be issued the same day.
Questions
409A, answered.
How long is a 409A valid?
Twelve months, or until a material event — a priced round, a major pivot, a large secondary. We tell you in writing exactly which events would require a refresh, so there’s no guesswork.
Will this survive an IRS challenge or audit?
Yes. Our reports follow the AICPA practice aid, use recognized allocation methods, and include full workpapers. Across 340+ audits, our clients have paid $0 in penalties.
What do you need from us?
Formation documents, your current cap table, recent financials, and financing terms. One checklist, about an hour of your time — we handle everything after that.
Can you help with the board approval?
Every engagement includes a one-page board summary written in plain language, and we’ll join the consent process if your counsel has questions.
Get started
Hiring this week? Price your options right.
Tell us your stage and headcount plan — we’ll reply with a fixed quote and a delivery date within 4 hours.