Clerky

What Clerky does

Clerky, Inc. is a cloud-based online legal document automation SaaS platform purpose-built for U.S. startup founders and their outside counsel. The platform organizes the startup legal lifecycle into five modules — Formation (Delaware C-corp incorporation, foreign qualification in California and New York, stock-plan adoption, EIN application, bank-account application), Fundraising (board consents, SAFEs, convertible notes), Hiring (offer letters, advisor/consulting agreements, CIIAs, equity grants), Commercial (NDAs), and Maintenance (changes to officers, directors, name, authorized shares, and co-founders) — with multi-user accounts that allow co-founders and outside attorneys to collaborate on the same paperwork. Proprietary technical features include real-time Delaware name-availability checks, an Advanced Delay Protection service with in-house rejection handling for Delaware filings, best-practice 83(b) election support with a Premium Filing & Evidence add-on, automated compliance reminders, customizable underlying form language, and passkey-based two-factor authentication.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time per-product fees rather than subscriptions: a $427 Pay-Per-Use Delaware C-corp incorporation, a $819 Company Lifetime Package that unlocks unlimited use of post-formation paperwork for the life of the company, and à-la-carte fees for ancillary products such as foreign qualification, stock-plan adoption, EIN application, name changes, and authorized-share increases, plus pass-through of third-party fees (Delaware expedited filings, registered-agent fees via CSC). Go-to-market is product-led self-serve via app.clerky.com, layered with a strong channel-partner motion in which Y Combinator refers every newly funded startup and a network of leading startup law firms (Gunderson Dettmer, Orrick, VLP Law Group, Silicon Legal Strategy, Optimal Counsel) endorse and refer clients. A growing banking-ecosystem motion (Ramp, Mercury, Brex, Arc, Rho) and SaaS-perk partnerships (Google Workspace, Asana, Intercom, Xero) drive recurring referral traffic and signup-bonus economics.

Clerky is privately held and bootstrapped since its 2011 Y Combinator seed, run by co-founders Darby Wong and Chris Field — both former startup attorneys at a top Silicon Valley firm — with a remote-first team of 11–50 employees. The company has incorporated more than 20,000 startups cumulatively, including notable alumni such as Coinbase ($86B IPO), Gusto ($140M Series C at time of reference), Zapier ($140M+ ARR), Segment ($3.2B acquisition), Clever ($500M acquisition), and Codecademy ($525M acquisition), and operates as a bonded Legal Document Assistant in Santa Clara County, California (#LDA258).

Name

Clerky

Legal name

Clerky, Inc.

Website

https://clerky.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clerky is a cloud-based SaaS platform that automates U.S. startup legal paperwork across incorporation, fundraising, hiring, and ongoing maintenance, serving startup founders and their outside counsel through a self-serve product with Y Combinator and major law-firm referral channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlingame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Pay Per Use product fees: Per-product one-time fees for individual Clerky products such as the $427 Pay Per Use incorporation plan, foreign qualification, stock plan adoption, EIN application, name change, and authorized share increases. Includes pass-through of third-party fees (e.g., Delaware expedited filing fees, registered agent fees).
2. Company Lifetime Package: $819 one-time bundle that unlocks unlimited use of many Clerky products (bank account applications, change directors/officers, add co-founders, sign offer letters / NDAs / consulting agreements, etc.) for the lifetime of the company.
3. Premium add-on services: Paid add-ons such as the Premium Filing & Evidence Service for 83(b) elections.
4. Pass-through government & third-party fees: Clerky collects and remits fees for Delaware expedited filings, registered agent services, and similar third-party charges as part of product purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Clerky operates a cloud-based online legal document automation SaaS platform that guides startup founders through Delaware C-corp incorporation, post-incorporation setup, fundraising paperwork (SAFEs, convertible notes, board consents), hiring paperwork (offer letters, consulting agreements, NDAs), and ongoing corporate maintenance (officer/director changes, name changes, authorized share increases). The platform is sold primarily as one-time per-product purchases or a $819 one-time Company Lifetime Package that unlocks unlimited use of many products for the lifetime of the company, and it also supports Delaware Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs).

Product overview

Clerky is a single unified online legal paperwork platform rather than a collection of standalone apps. The platform is organized into five core product modules that map to the startup lifecycle — Formation (Delaware incorporation, post-incorporation setup, foreign qualification, stock plan adoption, EIN application, and bank account application), Fundraising (board consents, SAFEs, convertible notes), Hiring (new hire paperwork, equity compensation, advisor and consulting agreements), Commercial (NDAs), and Maintenance (changes to officers, directors, company name, authorized shares, and adding co-founders). Layered on top of this unified core are three supporting offerings: Clerky for Attorneys (an attorney-specific account experience), the free Clerky Handbooks educational reference (covering "Legal Concepts for Founders" and "Startup Incorporation for Founders"), and the Clerky Help Center knowledge base for customer support. Clerky also supports Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) within its Formation and Maintenance modules, and its platform extends outward through integrations with a banking-platform ecosystem (Ramp, Arc, Brex, Mercury, Rho) and Google single sign-on.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clerky Formation Module that guides startup founders through Delaware C-corp incorporation, post-incorporation setup (issuing founder stock with customizable vesting, electing directors, appointing officers, adopting bylaws, IP assignment), foreign qualification in California and New York, stock plan adoption, EIN application for non-US founders, and applying for a corporate bank account. Targeted at newly forming U.S. startups and their outside counsel.
• Clerky Fundraising Module providing standardized legal paperwork for startup fundraising, including board consents, SAFEs, and convertible notes (with valuation cap, discount, and MFN) used to close early-stage rounds. Targeted at seed-stage startups preparing for and closing priced or SAFE rounds.
• Clerky Hiring Module that automates new-hire paperwork, including offer letters, consulting and advisor agreements, confidential information and invention assignment agreements (CIIA), and equity compensation grants such as restricted stock issuances and stock option issuances (regular and early exercisable). Targeted at startups making their first hires and issuing equity to employees, advisors, and consultants.
• Clerky Commercial Module for issuing non-disclosure agreements (one-way and mutual NDAs) to protect startup confidential information during commercial discussions. Targeted at startups entering partnerships, vendor relationships, or commercial negotiations.
• Clerky Maintenance

Named customers21 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature9 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stripe Atlas: Stripe Atlas is a near-direct competitor in the startup incorporation and banking-setup workflow. It also pairs Delaware C-corp formation with banking, tax, and accounting tools, and is widely used by Y Combinator and other accelerator founders — the same customer base Clerky serves.
• Swyft Filings: Direct competitor in online business formation and registered agent services, with a self-serve product and low-price positioning. Overlaps with Clerky on Delaware C-corp formation and ongoing compliance services.
• ZenBusiness: Direct competitor in online business formation and registered agent services, targeting small businesses and early-stage startups. Overlaps with Clerky on Delaware formation, EIN, and ongoing compliance — though with a small-business rather than venture-backed-startup positioning.
• Northwest Registered Agent: Direct competitor in Delaware formation and registered agent services, with a privacy- and customer-service-led positioning. Northwest competes for the same founder wallet share on formation, foreign qualification, and registered agent services.
• Incfile (now Bizee): Direct competitor in budget Delaware LLC and C-corp formation, registered agent, and compliance services. Competes with Clerky for the entry-level incorporation wallet of new founders.

Broad incumbents

• LegalZoom: The largest online legal services platform in the US, offering incorporation alongside a broad portfolio of legal documents, attorney services, and compliance products. LegalZoom serves the same formation workflow as Clerky but as a generalist rather than a startup-specialist.
• Rocket Lawyer: Broad incumbent in online legal services with a subscription-based model covering business formation, contracts, and attorney access. Competes with Clerky at the formation entry point and increasingly in commercial agreements (NDAs, consulting agreements) overlapping with Clerky's Hiring and Commercial modules.

Emerging players

• Firstbase: Emerging startup-formation and back-office platform targeting early-stage and international founders. Offers Delaware incorporation plus registered agent, mailroom, and tax services, overlapping with Clerky's Formation and Maintenance modules.
• Doola: Emerging player focused on US company formation for non-US founders, with bundled accounting, tax, and compliance services. Directly overlaps with Clerky's non-US founder product set (EIN application, banking setup) and is rapidly gaining traction in the same YC-adjacent international founder segment.

Regional players

• Harvard Business Services, Inc. Long-standing Delaware-focused incorporation and registered agent provider serving a global base of small businesses and startups. Comparable to Clerky on the Delaware formation workflow with a regional/specialist orientation rather than a modern SaaS product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clerkyinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/clerkyinc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clerky