There is a part of the U.S. tax code, written on purpose for founders, that can make a huge slice of your eventual exit completely tax free. Most founders find out about it too late to use it. We make sure you are not one of them.
When you sell a company you built, the government normally takes a fortune in taxes. But there is a rule, Section 1202, often called QSBS, that lets founders of qualifying companies keep the first large chunk of that gain completely free of federal tax.
How large? The greater of fifteen million dollars, or ten times what you paid for your stock. And with the right structure, you can multiply it well beyond that. This is not a loophole or a gray area. Congress wrote it on purpose, to reward people who build companies. The catch is simply that almost no one tells founders about it in time.
You capture the most when your company is worth the least.
The move that saves you millions is cheapest, safest, and most defensible when your shares are worth almost nothing, which means right now, before you raise, is the best possible time to set it up. The best day to do this was the day you incorporated. The second best day is today.
Start with a free eligibility review. In about fifteen minutes we tell you whether your equity qualifies for QSBS and how much of your window is still open. No cost, no obligation.
We design and build the structure with you: real, independent trusts for the people you would provide for anyway, so the single break can be multiplied. Built to hold up, not to cut corners.
You go back to building. Years later, when the company sells, the plan you set up quietly does its job, and you keep what you built instead of handing it to the IRS.
This strategy only works if it is done right. The IRS is paying closer attention than ever, and the aggressive, last-minute versions fall apart. We build the careful version, the kind that holds.
Real, independent trustees who genuinely control each trust, not a friend who rubber-stamps. That independence is what makes the plan defensible.
Your trusts are drafted and reviewed by licensed attorneys, with documentation and a real position behind every decision, not a template.
Genuine gifts, genuine purposes, moved early, before any sale is in sight. We build the paper trail while it is still easy, so a letter from the IRS is a non-event.
From your first eligibility check to the exit and beyond. One team quarterbacking the attorney, the appraiser, the trustee, and the filings, for years.
QSBS is not a side interest for us. Our founders, Kevin Saliba and Jason LeeKeenan, wrote ZERO, the plain-English field guide to Section 1202 for founders. It is the strategy we live in every day, and it is why founders trust us to get the small, permanent details right.
ZERO is coming Summer 2026.
See the book →QSBS stands for Qualified Small Business Stock, defined in Section 1202 of the tax code. In plain terms: if you own stock in the right kind of company and hold it long enough, the government lets you exclude a large amount of your gain from federal tax when you sell. It was created by Congress, on purpose, to reward founders and early backers.
Yes. It is not a loophole or a shelter. It is a deliberate part of the tax code that the wealthiest families have used quietly for decades. The key is doing it correctly and early, which is exactly what we help with.
As early as possible, ideally before you raise. The strategy is cheapest and most defensible when your company is worth almost nothing. Waiting until a sale is in sight is the single most common and most expensive mistake founders make.
Nothing. It is a free, roughly fifteen minute review that tells you whether your equity qualifies and how much of your window is still open. If it turns out this is not for you, we will tell you that too.
We coordinate the whole plan and work with independent, licensed attorneys who draft and review your trusts, along with qualified appraisers and trustees. You get one team quarterbacking the entire process instead of assembling and managing experts on your own.
Tell us a little about your company. We will tell you whether your equity qualifies and how much of your window is still open. No cost, no obligation.