Fondo
Fondo is a San Francisco-based, Y Combinator-backed accounting and tax platform that bundles AI-assisted bookkeeping, corporate tax filing, and R&D tax credit services into a subscription for Delaware C-Corp startups and international founders running US subsidiaries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fondo does
Fondo, operating as BloomJoy, Inc., is a San Francisco-based accounting and tax platform founded in 2019 that serves Delaware C-Corp startups from pre-seed through Series B, as well as international founders running US subsidiaries. The company bundles three core product lines — bookkeeping (transaction categorization, account reconciliation, and monthly/quarterly/annual financial statements including P&L, balance sheet, and runway), TaxPass (Delaware franchise tax plus federal and state corporate income tax filing), and Tax Credits (R&D credit identification and filing up to $500,000 annually) — into a single subscription offering delivered through a self-serve web platform at app.tryfondo.com with a sales-assisted demo channel for complex customers. Onboarding is positioned at under 15 minutes and the platform reports $8B+ in transactions categorized, $100M+ in customer tax savings, and 1,000+ featured founders.
Under the hood, Fondo describes its platform as AI-powered transaction categorization and R&D credit identification layered onto a 100+ person bench of expert accountants and CPAs. Distribution is primarily product-led and community-led: the company maintains a 35,000+ subscriber newsletter, 5,000+ event attendees, a podcast, and an official partnership with Y Combinator featured on YC Deals. Customer testimonials span web analytics (PostHog), developer tools (Warp), fintech (Modernbanc), travel technology (Gordian Software), HR technology (Laskie), AI infrastructure (Rewind.ai), animation (Motion), operations (ProcessLabs), healthcare (Fella Health), and AI sales (Octolane AI) — indicating deliberate diversification across early-stage verticals with notable strength in international and multi-entity structures.
Fondo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fondo
- Legal name
- BloomJoy, Inc.
- Website
- https://tryfondo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Fondo is a San Francisco-based, Y Combinator-backed accounting and tax platform that bundles AI-assisted bookkeeping, corporate tax filing, and R&D tax credit services into a subscription for Delaware C-Corp startups and international founders running US subsidiaries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Fondo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fondo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Bookkeeping Services: Recurring bookkeeping services with flexible cadences (monthly, quarterly, annual). Provides transaction categorization, account reconciliation, and financial statements.
- Corporate Tax Filing: Tax filing services for Delaware franchise tax, federal corporate income taxes, and state taxes. One-time per filing period.
- R&D Tax Credit Services: Identification, calculation, and filing of R&D tax credits. Startups can receive up to $500,000 in cash credits annually.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Bookkeeping - flexible cadence service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Fondo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fondo provides an all-in-one accounting, tax filing, and R&D tax credit service for early-stage and growth-stage Delaware C-Corp startups. Its platform combines AI-driven bookkeeping automation with a CPA-led team to close books monthly, quarterly, or annually, file Delaware franchise tax and federal/state corporate income tax, and identify up to $500,000 in annual R&D tax credits.
Product overview
Fondo is an all-in-one accounting platform for startups offering three integrated services: Bookkeeping (transaction categorization, account reconciliation, and financial statement delivery), TaxPass (Delaware Franchise Tax and Federal/State corporate income tax filing), and Tax Credits (R&D tax credit identification and filing up to $500,000 annually). The platform pairs proprietary software with a CPA-led team to automate bookkeeping workflows, tax filing, and credit claims. Founded in 2019, it serves Delaware C-Corp startups from pre-seed to Series B stage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bookkeeping Monthly, quarterly, or annual bookkeeping service for startup customers that closes books, categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, and delivers finalized financials including P&L, balance sheet, and runway reports. Designed for early- to growth-stage Delaware C-Corp startups.
- TaxPass Corporate Tax Filing Corporate tax filing service for startups that handles Delaware Franchise Tax, Federal Corporate Income Tax, and State Corporate Income Tax filings, managing all filing deadlines and ensuring compliance. Targeted at Delaware C-Corp startups seeking proactive tax management rather than passive reminders.
- Tax Credits (R&D Tax Credit Service) R&D tax credit identification, calculation, and filing service that helps startups identify and claim up to $500,000 in eligible cash credits annually. Includes paperwork preparation and cash credit application support for eligible startup customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- $125,839 tax savings per year for one customer (PostHog)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Fondo
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fondo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Fondo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fondo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bookkeeper360: Bookkeeper360 is an accounting and advisory firm offering bookkeeping, tax, payroll, and CFO services to SMBs and startups using cloud platforms. It competes with Fondo on the bundled bookkeeping-plus-tax-plus-advisory stack for founder-led businesses.
- Kick (formerly BooksTime): Kick offers cloud-based bookkeeping services to small businesses and entrepreneurs with a subscription model that pairs software with accountants. It is comparable to Fondo on target customer (founders, small businesses), subscription pricing, and bundled bookkeeping plus tax services.
- Botkeeper: Botkeeper provides AI-driven bookkeeping with human oversight for SMBs, accounting firms, and startups. Its combination of automation plus dedicated accountants mirrors Fondo's hybrid model and overlaps on customer base and value proposition.
- Bench: Bench is a direct competitor providing AI-assisted bookkeeping and tax preparation for small businesses and startups with a hybrid software plus dedicated bookkeeper model. It targets a similar SMB/startup customer base and competes on ease-of-use and bundled monthly financial statements.
- Found: Found combines business banking with bookkeeping and tax tools aimed at self-employed individuals and small businesses. It is comparable to Fondo as an all-in-one financial back-office platform targeting founder and SMB customers, although its banking-led model differs in delivery.
- Pilot: Pilot is a closely comparable direct competitor offering bookkeeping, taxes, and CFO services specifically built for startups and SMBs. Like Fondo, it pairs software with human accountants and emphasizes investor-ready financials, serving overlapping Delaware C-Corp and VC-backed customer segments.
Broad incumbents
- QuickBooks Live: QuickBooks Live is Intuit's human-assisted bookkeeping service layered on top of QuickBooks Online, directly competing with Fondo for startup and SMB bookkeeping customers. As a broad incumbent, it benefits from QuickBooks' massive installed base, deep integrations, and Intuit's brand.
- 1-800Accountant: 1-800Accountant is a larger, established virtual accounting firm offering bookkeeping, tax preparation, payroll, and business advisory to SMBs and startups. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Fondo across multiple service lines but without Fondo's narrow AI-led product focus.
Emerging players
- Merritt Bookkeeping: Merritt Bookkeeping is a low-cost, online-only bookkeeping service for small businesses and startups focused on QuickBooks-based monthly bookkeeping. It is comparable to Fondo as a startup-focused, subscription bookkeeping alternative, though it is narrower in scope (no tax filing or R&D credits).
Others
- Liberty Tax / Income Tax Preparation Chains: Liberty Tax and similar national tax preparation chains provide corporate and personal tax filing services that overlap with Fondo's TaxPass product. They are not direct competitors on bookkeeping or R&D credits, but represent adjacent tax-filing options for founders.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fondo social profiles
Digital presenceFondo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fondo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Fondo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors21 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fondo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fondo
What does Fondo do?
Fondo provides an all-in-one accounting, tax filing, and R&D tax credit service for early-stage and growth-stage Delaware C-Corp startups. Its platform combines AI-driven bookkeeping automation with a CPA-led team to close books monthly, quarterly, or annually, file Delaware franchise tax and federal/state corporate income tax, and identify up to $500,000 in annual R&D tax credits.
Is Fondo a public or private company?
Fondo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Fondo founded?
Fondo was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Fondo based?
Fondo is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fondo make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Bookkeeping Services are the primary driver. The others are corporate Tax Filing and R&D Tax Credit Services.
Who are Fondo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bookkeeper360, Kick (formerly BooksTime), Botkeeper, Bench, Found and Pilot. Broad incumbents are QuickBooks Live and 1-800Accountant. Merritt Bookkeeping is listed as an emerging player. Liberty Tax / Income Tax Preparation Chains is listed as an others.
Does Fondo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fondo.