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Comment by immichaelwang | Hacker News Reader

Can't all of this be done via Stripe Atlas for $500?

Yes, Stripe atlas can be a pretty good choice for some of this. With that said, if you don't need anything fancy, and just need a basic LLC for yourself, you can save money (and also choose your state of incorporation if desired) by using some other legal services, which will be slightly cheaper, as all they really do is file the documents for you, which is pretty easy to do on your own as well. But Stripe atlas obviously comes with more than what those services offer in case you need it.

Stripe Atlas doesn't accept very many companies. I signed up and was rejected... even though I use Stripe for processing. Somehow Stripe feels they are taking on a greater liability for your company beyond processing.

This too was my immediate reaction.

Are there situations where Stripe Atlas would not be the best choice?

(Also curious if anyone has experience with Clerky or Gust Launch, which are also mentioned in the article.)

Also used Clerky, it's great. Just fill out a form and give them a credit card and it handles all the paperwork, generates incorporation documents & bylaws, files with the relevant secretary of state, and gives you instructions for what to do afterwards.

I've talked to a couple lawyers since that are familiar with the Clerky paperwork, and they said that legally it's pretty solid as long as you're doing something fairly standard. If you've got complicated ownership structures (converting from an LLC, founders quitting or joining after incorporation, spinning off IP that might not be yours) you probably want to talk to a lawyer, but for the standard situation where a bunch of friends get together, can all agree on ownership percentages, and start a company from a clean slate, Clerky's great.

Stripe Atlas won't help you start a company with ethics baked into its mandate so that's worth considering. Clerky will help you to incorporate as a Public Benefit Corporation if that is of interest.

https://www.clerky.com/public-benefit-corporations

I use Clerky and can only recommmend it.

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