Fundraising Fox

doola

YC S20

New York City, US · Founded 2020 · 43 employees · Hiring · 12 known investors

doola provides a platform for entrepreneurs globally to form and operate U.S. businesses, offering an all-in-one back-office solution including LLC formation, business banking, tax filings, and compliance services. The company serves international founders and entrepreneurs who want to establish or manage a U.S. business from anywhere in the world.

Also known as doola (formerly StartPack) · Standups · StartPack · Distributed, Inc. · doolaHQ

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFintechFuture of WorkLegalTechSaaSUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S20)

doola was founded in 2020 by Arjun Mahadevan.

AMArjun Mahadevan
Arjun Mahadevanin𝕏Founder · CEOArjun Mahadevan is the CEO of doola (YC S20), a service that assists with LLC formation and business setup.

Investors · 12

Also in the syndicate · 7

Alex CohenBart MacdonaldChris AdelsbachPsion CapitalSahil BloomVibe CapitalY Combinator Continuity Fund

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

doola (Y Combinator Summer 2020; legal name Distributed, Inc.; formerly StartPack) operates an all-in-one back-office platform, marketed as a "Business-in-a-Box™", for people who want to start and run a U.S. business. Its services span U.S. entity formation (LLCs, C Corps and DAO LLCs in Wyoming, Delaware and other states), Employer Identification Number (EIN) applications, operating agreements, registered agent service, a U.S. business address, guidance on opening a U.S. bank account and access to U.S. payment processing, bookkeeping and invoicing, federal (IRS) and state tax filings, licensed tax professional consultations, and e-commerce/sales and ad-campaign analytics.

The platform is aimed particularly at international founders, including those without a U.S. Social Security number, as well as first-time business owners, solopreneurs, side hustlers and e-commerce sellers. Additional offerings include an "AI Co-Founder" assistant, a company formation API and an MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration that lets partners and AI agents initiate U.S. LLC formation and ongoing compliance on a white-labeled basis, plus Shopify integrations for analytics and invoicing. doola has previously launched doola Banking with partner Piermont Bank and doola Money for storing U.S. dollars and moving money internationally, and offers white-label bookkeeping and tax APIs.

The company states a mission of helping 1 billion people turn a dream idea into a U.S. business and "democratizing access to the U.S. financial ecosystem."

Founding story

Co-founders Arjun Mahadevan (CEO) and JP Pincheira (CTO) started the company in 2020 after concluding that assembling the full stack of software and accounts needed to get a business off the ground was unnecessarily difficult, particularly for creators and online side-hustle businesses; the company frames its motivation as "talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not."

Business model

doola sells subscription plans that bundle formation and ongoing back-office services, priced annually (plus state filing fees): a Starter plan at $297/yr covering LLC filing, EIN, U.S. business address, registered agent and bank-account guidance; a Tax and Compliance plan at $1,999/yr adding federal and state tax filing, a 1:1 tax consultation and bookkeeping/invoicing software; and Business-in-a-Box™ at $2,999/yr (or $329/mo) adding a dedicated bookkeeper, monthly financial statements and estimated quarterly taxes. Promotional discounts of up to $750 are advertised, along with a formation money-back guarantee. The company also distributes its services through a company formation API and MCP integration that partners can embed or white-label, and runs a customer referral and rewards program.

Recurring annual and monthly subscription fees for formation and ongoing compliance, tax and bookkeeping services, charged on top of pass-through state fees; additional distribution through API/white-label partnerships that generate revenue for embedding platforms.

Traction

The company reports serving over 22,000 customers across more than 175 countries on 6 continents with over 2,000 five-star reviews, and separately cites 15,000+ founders across 175+ countries having formed U.S. LLCs. In November 2022 it said thousands of companies from over 130 countries had launched with doola and that revenue growth had increased sevenfold year to date. Team size is listed as 43.

Latest developments

doola launched an MCP server alongside its formation API, enabling users to start a Wyoming LLC from within AI tools such as Claude or Replit, with the agent collecting required information and handing off to doola for payment; the company said it is onboarding partners for white-labeled formation and compliance. Its current product line-up includes an AI Co-Founder assistant, e-commerce analytics and ad-campaign tracking, dedicated bookkeeping and tiered subscription plans up to Business-in-a-Box™.

Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history

Market position

doola positions itself as a consolidated alternative to assembling separate legal formation, bookkeeping and tax providers. Context cited by the company includes over 400,000 monthly U.S. business applications (on track for 5M+ formations in 2023) and roughly 400 million small businesses operating internationally.

Bundling formation, EIN, registered agent, U.S. banking access, bookkeeping, tax filing and analytics in a single subscription rather than separate vendors; support for founders without a U.S. Social Security number; a formation money-back guarantee; and programmatic/white-label formation via API and MCP.

Technology

A dashboard-based SaaS platform combining formation filings, bookkeeping, tax filing and e-commerce analytics, an AI Co-Founder assistant that answers questions about a user's business, and programmatic interfaces: a company formation API and an MCP server that allows AI agents in tools such as Claude or Replit to collect information and initiate a Wyoming LLC formation, which the company describes as the first business formation and compliance platform to offer LLC formation via the Model Context Protocol.

Go-to-market

Self-serve online sign-up with a free account tier and free consultations with experts, paid plan upgrades at checkout, demo bookings, a referral and rewards program, partner integrations (e.g., Shopify), startup-perk bundles, and developer-led distribution via a formation API and MCP launch promoted through Y Combinator channels; the 2022 funding was earmarked in part for marketing.

Founders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, side hustlers and e-commerce sellers who want to start or operate a U.S. business, with a particular focus on international founders located outside the United States who lack a U.S. Social Security number; also platforms and companies seeking embedded or white-labeled formation and compliance infrastructure.

Geography

Headquartered in New York City, with an office in Germany reported in 2022 and job listings in Bangalore, India and remote U.S. roles; customers span 175+ countries across six continents, while the services formed are U.S. entities (Wyoming, Delaware and other states).

History

Founded in 2020 by Arjun Mahadevan and JP Pincheira and originally named StartPack, the company went through Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch. By 2021 it had built an MVP with its first paying customer and hundreds of LLCs formed, raising $3 million in seed funding in November 2021 led by Nexus Venture Partners. It launched a company formation API in April 2022 and a banking service with Piermont Bank, then raised an $8 million round led by Nexus Venture Partners in November 2022. In January 2024 it announced a strategic investment from HubSpot Ventures, bringing disclosed venture funding to $13 million. Later product launches include doola Money, white-label bookkeeping and tax APIs, an AI Co-Founder, an e-commerce Business-in-a-Box, and an MCP + API for U.S. LLC formation.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Countries servedJan 2025175
Countries with launched companiesNov 2022130
Customers servedJan 202522,000 customers
Five-star reviewsJan 20252,000 reviews
Founders who started US LLCsJan 202515,000 founders
HeadcountAug 202699
Revenue growthNov 20227 x year-to-date
Team sizeJan 202543 employees
Total venture funding raisedJan 2024$13M

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Competitors · 7

by search overlap
LegalZoom.com, Inc.6274 shared keywordsThis is an educational article on the LegalZoom website explaining what a limited liability company (LLC) is, including its types, tax treatment, formation process, and legal considerations. LegalZoom provides online legal services to help small and mid-size businesses register and manage LLCs and other business structures.
Intuit®5413 shared keywordsIntuit develops financial software products—including TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp—for consumers and small businesses to manage taxes, credit, accounting, and marketing. It serves approximately 100 million customers worldwide.
Zenbusiness4524 shared keywordsZenBusiness provides an all-in-one platform combining AI-powered guidance (Velo) with customer support to help entrepreneurs start, protect, and grow their businesses through business formations and compliance services. The platform serves business owners at all stages, from first-time LLC filers to established companies managing bookkeeping and regulatory requirements.
Upcounsel3951 shared keywordsUpCounsel offers an online platform for businesses to work with lawyers, providing tools for team messaging, document storage and e-signature, time tracking, and invoicing and payment management for legal engagements. It is aimed at companies managing their legal work and communication with attorneys.
Tailor Brands3302 shared keywordsTailor Brands provides a unified platform combining over 20 business services—including website hosting, legal compliance, and financial tools—for entrepreneurs and small business owners building their first ventures.
Stripe2928 shared keywordsStripe provides financial infrastructure for businesses to accept payments, offer financial services, and implement custom revenue models across international markets in 135+ currencies.
Wise2629 shared keywordsWise is a financial platform offering international money transfers, multi-currency accounts, and debit cards with low fees and competitive exchange rates, serving millions of users globally.

Companies competing with doola for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Timeline · 7

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2025
doola AI Co-Founder and e-commerce Business-in-a-Box

doola launched an AI Co-Founder assistant positioned as an AI Business-in-a-Box for e-commerce entrepreneurs, along with e-commerce back-office tooling, white-label bookkeeping and tax APIs, and doola Money for storing U.S. dollars and moving money globally.

source ↗

Jan 2025
doola launches MCP + API for U.S. LLC formation

doola released a Model Context Protocol server alongside its formation API, allowing users to start a Wyoming LLC from within AI tools such as Claude or Replit; the company describes itself as the first business formation and compliance platform to offer LLC formation via MCP and is onboarding white-label partners.

source ↗

Jan 2024
doola raises strategic investment from HubSpot Ventures

HubSpot Ventures made a strategic investment in doola, joining existing investors including Nexus Venture Partners, the Y Combinator Continuity Fund and Hustle Fund. The amount was not disclosed; doola stated total venture funding of $13M to date.

source ↗

Nov 2022
doola raises $8M round led by Nexus Venture Partners

Nexus Venture Partners again led the round, joined by Y Combinator Continuity Fund, Hustle Fund, Chris Adelsbach, Sahil Bloom, Alex Cohen, Bart Macdonald and Vibe Capital. Proceeds were designated for hiring in product, engineering and R&D, scaling its New York and Germany offices, opening new offices, and marketing. The company said the round raised its valuation but did not disclose the figure.

$8M source ↗

Nov 2022
doola Banking launched with Piermont Bank

doola launched its own banking service with partner Piermont Bank, giving customers a U.S.-based account operable remotely, with physical and virtual credit and debit cards and international wires.

source ↗

Apr 2022
doola launches company formation API

doola introduced a company formation API allowing US LLC, DAO LLC and C Corp incorporations to be created programmatically.

source ↗

Nov 2021
doola raises $3M seed round led by Nexus Venture Partners

The company, then recently renamed from StartPack, raised $3 million in seed financing led by Nexus Venture Partners with participation from Y Combinator, Hustle Fund, Psion Capital and Translink Investment.

$3M source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

In the news

Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does doola do?
doola is a New York-based platform that helps founders worldwide form and run U.S. companies from formation through taxes.
Who founded doola?
doola was founded by Arjun Mahadevan in 2020.
Who are doola's investors?
doola's investors include Y Combinator, Hustle Fund, Nexus Venture Partners, aVenture, HubSpot Ventures.
Where is doola headquartered?
doola is headquartered in New York City, US.