Structure
Business registration and corporate governance
Coordinated with qualified counsel and tax advisers.
Are we set up to operate, raise and stand up to scrutiny?
Getting structure right early costs less than fixing it in diligence. The entity you choose shapes how you raise and where you can operate. The governance you set up shapes how investors, partners and regulators judge you. We help you get the business side of both right.
Atlas Azul does not provide legal or tax advice. We advise on the business side of structure and coordinate the work alongside your counsel and tax advisers.
Business registration and entity structure
Atlas Azul helps founders compare entity and jurisdiction options and coordinates the registration process; the registration itself is carried out by qualified professionals or through the relevant registry.
Entity and jurisdiction options
We set out the realistic options and compare them against what matters to your business: where your customers and team are, what your investors expect, the rules in your sector and the cost of running the entity. Your counsel and tax advisers then advise on the legal and tax position of the shortlist.
Registration roadmap and coordination
Once a direction is chosen, we build a roadmap of steps, owners and dependencies, and coordinate between you and the professionals carrying out the work, so nothing stalls between inboxes.
Founder and shareholder terms
We help you work out the business terms your founder and shareholder documents need to reflect, such as roles, vesting and decision rights, so your counsel can draft from a clear brief.
Filing calendar
A simple calendar of the ongoing filings and renewals your advisers identify, with owners and dates, so obligations aren't missed as the business grows.
Corporate governance
Corporate governance for startups is the set of decision rights, board arrangements, policies and reporting that sets who decides what and how the business is overseen, sized to the company's stage. Atlas Azul designs the business side; appointments and constitutional documents are prepared by the company's counsel. It is built to stand up to investor and regulator scrutiny. Regulator-ready means prepared for the questions regulators, banks and partners will ask, with formal sign-off from qualified counsel.
A framework for your stage
A two-founder company doesn't need the governance of a listed business. We help you choose what fits now and what to add as you grow.
Board and advisory board set-up
We help you decide when a formal board makes sense, who should sit on it, how an advisory board differs and how meetings should run. Appointments and constitutional changes are documented by your counsel.
Policies and decision rights
Who decides what, and who needs to be told? We help you set clear decision rights and the core policies your stage and sector call for, written in plain language your team will actually use.
Investor and board reporting
We help you design a board pack and an investor update that report the measures that matter, on a regular rhythm, so your board and investors can see progress and risks clearly.
Working with qualified counsel and tax advisers
We are not a law firm, a tax adviser or a formation agent. We bring the business view, shape the options and keep the work moving. Legal, tax and filing work is carried out by qualified professionals engaged for that work.
What you leave with
- A clear comparison of entity and jurisdiction options, ready for your advisers.
- A registration roadmap with steps, owners and timing.
- A brief of the business terms for your founder and shareholder documents.
- A filing calendar for ongoing obligations.
- A governance framework for your stage, with board and advisory board recommendations.
- Clear decision rights, a core set of plain-language policies, and board pack and investor update templates.
Structure in your sector
Web3 and blockchain.
Where to set up and who makes decisions are often where Web3 ventures run into trouble. We help you frame those questions early for your counsel.
Fintech.
We help you work out what the business needs to be able to do, where and when, so your counsel can advise on the right structure and any licence or authorisation route.
AI.
Customers and partners increasingly expect to see how an AI venture manages data and model risk. Proportionate governance, with legal review by counsel, answers that question.
Healthtech.
Patient data, clinical risk and partner expectations mean governance matters early in health. We help you put proportionate structures in place, with legal review by counsel.
Regtech.
Your customers will look hard at how you handle their data and your own controls. We help you put governance in place that stands up to that scrutiny, with legal review by counsel.
How it connects
Investors check structure and governance in diligence, so this work runs alongside Fund rather than after it. It also keeps the model you shape in Build workable as you grow.
Structure FAQ
Does Atlas Azul register companies?
No. Atlas Azul helps you decide on the business side and coordinates the process. The registration is carried out by qualified professionals or through the relevant registry.
Does Atlas Azul give legal or tax advice on structure?
No. Atlas Azul is not a law firm or a tax adviser. Your counsel and tax advisers advise on the legal and tax position.
Can Atlas Azul help a company that is already registered?
Yes. Atlas Azul reviews existing structures, often before a raise or a move into a new market, when the structure needs a fresh look. We help frame the questions so your advisers can recommend any changes.
When does a startup need a formal board?
A startup often needs a formal board around a priced round, when investors may ask for board seats, or earlier if the business is regulated. Atlas Azul helps you judge the right moment; your counsel confirms what the law and your documents require.
What is the difference between an advisory board and a board of directors?
A board of directors has formal duties and decision-making authority. An advisory board gives advice but has no formal authority. Many early ventures benefit from advisers well before they need a formal board.
What should a startup board pack include?
A startup board pack usually includes a short summary, key measures against plan, cash position and runway, major risks and the decisions needed at the meeting.
Can Atlas Azul get a company licensed?
No. Licensing and authorisation are legal and regulatory matters handled by qualified counsel and the relevant authority. Atlas Azul helps you prepare the business side and keep the process organised.
Atlas Azul is a consulting and strategic advisory firm. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal or tax advice. Legal, tax and filing work is carried out by qualified professionals engaged for that work. Nothing on this site is investment advice or an offer of securities.