Compilation of CPA's for Startups and Entrepreneurs (Dec. 2015 by JW Kim)

1) These guys are great for Product Design companies since they work with a number of them and they understand the notion of MVP. A blurb about them...

McSwain Hiott CPAs believes that accounting for product design companies shouldn’t be a minimally viable product. Our primary focus is on profits and cash flow.  We make the accounting simple, easy to understand and more informative.  Our bookkeeping and advisory services include cash flow projections, goal setting, tax planning and other accounting services. 

email: mac.m@mcswainhiott.com

http://www.mcswainhiott.com

2) Erich Zielonka. He's in Pleasanton. He's been great for my scale of business, but I'm not sure how he'd be for a larger start-up. 

3) http://wellslevitt.com/ is run by a Stanford classmate of mine. They know startups and do work for us at Epoxy.

4) Here's the info for our CPA. He’s been great, and has provided solid guidance to us over the past 10 years.

Lou Battilana

Lou@Morling.com  

Website: http://www.morling.com

5) Salmann Yang and Alameda in Pleasanton.  They were exceptionally helpful when I sold my company and they figured out favorable tax treatment that several high powered silicon valley tax attorneys missed.

6) We use the TEAM Group at Stride Health -- I love em!  I asked them to send me a blurb that you can use: 

The Team Group was founded by serial entrepreneurs and investors Cliff Boro and Tom Broadhead to specifically handle the unique accounting, finance and administrative needs of startups. In addition to being seasoned and proven accountants, everything that Team Group does is infused by real-world experience and is attuned to startup realities. Most traditional accounting firms are always looking in the “rearview mirror”, Team Group staff are trained to look ahead and to materially lighten the load of entrepreneurs so that they can focus on building their teams, products and serving their customers – while always resting assured knowing that all of their accounting and administrative tasks are being handled in a world-class fashion. 

 Contact: Cliff Boro, cliff@theteamgrp.com, 858-245-2630 (Cell) 

Compilation of Bay Area small business accounting and insurance agent recommendations (Feb, '07):

a co-worker/friend of mine has used a smaller firm, called Sweet and Baker in SF http://www.sweetandbaker.com

when I worked for a startup, we used:

•Mohler, Nixon and Williams

www.mohlernixon.com

635 Campbell Technology Parkway, Suite 100, Campbell 95008-5088

I never took accounting, and their accountant set us up on QuickBooks online. I would enter everything, and she would do the month-end reconciliation/financials for the board meetings. Their tax accountants also did our quarterly and annual taxes.

•Terrance Insurance

http://www.terranceinsurance.com

Linda Jacobs, lindajacobs@terranceinsurance.com, principal

Hindy Ganeles, hindy@terranceinsurance.com, office manager but can usually help if Linda is unavailable

1350 Dell Ave. Suite 206, Campbell, CA 95008, 408.871.2000

They helped with our medical/dental/vision insurance and general other HR-type issues. They were not able to get us proper general liability insurance as we were an online, kind of gaming company. Not sure if they can help with your product liability insurance.

•Marsh (http://www.marsh.com)

For our other insurance (non-employee/HR related), we were referred through one of our VCs. They are in NY and are a pretty big broker, but they were quite responsive (maybe through the initial introduction to a specific offer/person) and definitely knew our industry. They can provide professional, general liability and E&O insurance.

Try Stanford (and fellow Band) alumna Becky Jensen, www.2prosper.com. She’s a Quickbooks CPA and helped me back when I was freelancing.

I just started talking to a CPA in the city named Lou Battilana. (http://morling.com/) He came highly recommended

RE accounting - you might talk to Andy Andrikopoulos. I have used him for 10 years and he has done good work. I am not sure if he employs any bookkeepers though. He might have some recommendations. He is located in Palo Alto - 322-9445. Let him know I sent you if you end up using him

Our CPA (who was recommended by a fellow PD/ME grad), is great, fun and pretty affordable. He also recommends bookkeepers that are used to working with him for monthly, weekly, or quarterly data-entry. He is avail for questions/clarifications and does year ends (not sure about quarterly since we don't have that requirement). His name is Bill Ehardt, and you can certainly tell him Jane from Craft Gym sent you.

Contact info is:

William E. Ehardt, CPA

45 Hoffman Avenue

San Francisco , CA 94114-3123

Phone: (415) 824-2012

ehardtcpa@att.net

Our small biz insurance agent did a great job helping us, too. (We just have property, liablity, & workers

comp.) Not sure if he does product, but he is a good guy and could probably refer you if its not his cup of tea. His name is Al Zeidler, and you can certainly tell him Jane or Jackie from Craft Gym sent you.

Contact info is:

415.883.2039

zeidlerins@sbcglobal.net

Last note:

My boyfriend really likes his business & personal accountant and says he is good and pretty aggressive.Don't have specifics re: contact name, etc -- but the website is: http://www.taxbuddha.com/

I was having a lot a trouble with product liability insurance because toys for kids with special needs is so risky and specific. I finally found someone that seems to be working out well...at least so far....hopefully I will never have to find out how well they work in case of a claim!

Tom Quirk

Garland Sturges and Quirk

6085 Snell Ave

San Jose, CA 95123

408-227-9991

website: gsq.com

Here are some insurance reps that I have been meaning to call to get general liability for my business. It has been pretty hard to find someone that will cover my biz. I think they keep falling into the trap of a blanket product liability policy and when they hear I work on med devices too, they totally freak out.

So, I’ve learned it’s important to frame your needs (and what you do) in a very specific way. They are basically looking for any reason why NOT to cover you.

Here are the folks:

Acordia Insurance:

800-310-7213

http://www.acordia.com/

Joseph DeLucchi

CAL Insurance and Associates, Inc.

415-661-6500

jdelucchi@cal-insure.com

www.cal-insure.com

These are the folks I spoke to but wouldn’t cover me:

Karina French

Allwest Insurance Brokers

408-626-6100 ext 267

Kurt Klemm

Insurance by Allied Brokers

630 Cowper Street

Palo Alto, CA 94301

650-328-1000

End of compilation