Masterclass on Startup Incorporation Playbook for VCs: Where to Start, When to Flip, and What to Avoid?
📅 28th May ⏰ 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM GMT+1 (Virtual)
Setting up the right corporate structure is one of the most critical (and overlooked) early decisions for globally ambitious startups. It’s also one of the highest-leverage areas where GPs can provide real value beyond the check.
In this 2-hour virtual masterclass, we’ll arm you with the frameworks, horror stories, and practical tools to help founders avoid costly mistakes - and build globally investable companies from Day 1.
Led by Shado’s cross-border legal experts Rena Kakon and Tom McGinn, General Counsel at Northzone, this session is designed specifically for investors. We’ll explore how you can support your portfolio through complex incorporation decisions, tax considerations and jurisdiction flips with clarity and confidence.
Why Attend?
Actionable Insights: Avoid the horror stories. Learn how to guide founders away from incorporation pitfalls and towards structures that support growth and exits.
Jurisdiction Deep-Dive: Understand the pros and cons of incorporating in the US, UK, Netherlands and Estonia.
Decision-Making Framework: Get access to practical frameworks for supporting cross-border startups.
Interactive Q&A: Bring your own cases or questions - this is a space to get practical answers and learn from peers.
Who Should Participate?
This masterclass is ideal for:
Emerging Managers
Especially those investing at pre-seed and seed, supporting globally ambitious teams, where these decisions happen (and go wrong).
Cross-Border Investors
GPs whose portfolio founders build across markets or plan to enter other markets (US, Europe or beyond).
Advisors and Ecosystem Builders
Accelerators, angels and consultants working with/investing in international teams.
Time Commitment
This is a 2-hour online workshop, including:
Founder Horror Stories: Real-world cautionary tales of painful tax hits and government-level red tape.
The Incorporation Deep Dive: Why it matters more than you think, jurisdiction trends across Europe and a decision-making framework for GPs and founders
Flipping: When and Why: How to advise founders on flipping their jurisdiction - and the costly traps to avoid.
Audience Q&A + Peer Discussion: Bring your own cases and hear from others navigating similar cross-border dilemmas.
Key Learning Points:
Why Incorporation Matters: Tax, fundraising, exits, investor appetite - get it wrong and you’re stuck.
Horror Stories Unpacked: Learn from real startup mistakes that cost teams equity, time, and opportunity.
The GP’s Role: How to raise red flags and coach founders toward the right setup early.
Jurisdiction Trade-Offs: Get clarity on US vs Europe, and the pitfalls of poor planning.
Solid Framework: A founder-friendly framework to match company profiles with top jurisdictions.
The Flip Decision: How to think about and navigate mid-stage jurisdiction changes.
Beyond Incorporation: Understand how incorporation affects downstream issues like banking, equity, and tax.
Réna Kakon is the co-founder of Kara Ventures, a tech angels fund investing across Africa, and partner of Janngo, a VC fund. She wears many hats, as an advisor, operator and investor with a passion for Africa Tech. Her career started at Fenix, a cleantech startup based in Uganda that was acquired by Engie in 2018. After that she became a tech lawyer, advising mostly YC companies as she is qualified in California. Most recently she launched a newsletter Shado, to help global founders launch and expand their business internationally.
Tom McGuinn is the General Counsel at Northzone, a multi-stage venture capital fund investing across Europe and the US. Since joining in 2021, he has played a key role in supporting Northzone’s portfolio and operations, following the firm’s successful close of a €1 billion fund. Tom brings deep expertise in venture and startup law, having previously helped build the emerging companies team at Cooley in Europe, where he advised high-growth startups on everything from formation and fundraising to exit.
He began his legal career at Osborne Clarke in London and was seconded to Microsoft as its lead consumer and retail lawyer in the UK. Passionate about early-stage innovation, Tom has also worked closely with accelerators and enjoys partnering with founders navigating the complexities of seed-stage growth.
David Cruz e Silva is the founder of eu.vc, Europe’s Venture Community, and an angel LP supporting European early-stage funds and their breakout companies. His unique experience and positioning are invaluable for emerging VCs and LPs navigating European VC.
Frequently asked questions
Will attendees get access to the materials of the session?
Materials are made available to EUVC community members in a protected data room without download access. Attendees will be offered a 30-day trial.
Is group pricing available?
Yes, contact us for more information.
Do you provide a certificate?
We provide an online certificate that you can add to LinkedIn.
What's the cancelation policy?
All sales are final. No refunds. We may review exceptional cases at our discretion, but this is rare and decided on an ad hoc basis.