Form Your C Corp in Claude: A Founder's Walkthrough

I formed a Delaware C Corp, issued founder common stock, prepared the 83(b) election, opened a business bank account through Meow, issued the founder card, and sent the first invoice end-to-end inside Claude. No browser tabs. No portal logins. No phone calls. Just one conversation.

This is the transcript.

The entity formation launch post explained what shipped. The companion LLC walkthrough covered the Delaware LLC path. This post covers the C Corp path. Same agent, same MCP endpoint, different filing artifacts, and two extra questions back from the agent because C Corp formation carries more founder decisions than LLC formation.

Setting Up the Connection

Same setup as the LLC walkthrough. Claude already had MCP configured on my machine. The Meow-specific setup was a single command in my terminal.

claude mcp add --transport http meow https://mcp.meow.com/cli

I confirmed the connection with claude /mcp. Meow showed up as a connected server. The OAuth round trip ran through my email.

I opened a fresh Claude conversation. I had not pre-configured anything else. The Delaware C Corp, the EIN, the Meow account, the founder card, and the invoice did not exist yet.

Why C Corp, Not LLC

The choice between C Corp and LLC is a founder decision, not an agent decision. For a venture-backed startup, the C Corp is the default. Venture investors expect preferred stock with standard rights and preferences. Issuing preferred stock requires a corporation. The Series A documents written by every major venture firm assume a Delaware C Corp.

For a single-founder operating business that is not raising venture capital, the LLC is usually the right call. The LLC walkthrough on the Meow blog covers that path.

The post you are reading covers the C Corp path. The agent supports both; the choice is yours at the first question.

The First Prompt and the Six Questions Back

I pasted the prompt directly from the May 28 launch post.

I want to get started with Meow for my AI agent. Read the docs at https://www.meow.com/skills.md and then set it up.

Claude read the skills file and came back with six questions, in this order. The first three match the LLC walkthrough. The fourth, fifth, and sixth are C Corp specific.

What entity type. I picked C Corp.

What state. I picked Delaware.

What entity name. I gave it a working name and noted that I would file a DBA separately if I needed one.

What authorized share count. The agent suggested the standard founder default: 10,000,000 shares of common stock at a par value of $0.00001 per share. This matches the Y Combinator standard and the template every major venture firm's counsel expects to see. I accepted the suggestion.

What founder allocation and vesting. The agent asked how many shares to issue at formation, the purchase price per share (par value, $0.00001 per share, for clean founder stock issuance at incorporation), and whether to apply a vesting schedule. For a single founder, the standard answer is 8,000,000 shares issued to the founder at par value, with a 4-year vest and a 1-year cliff. I accepted the standard.

Who the beneficial owner is. The agent walked me through the Plaid identity verification step, which I completed on my phone. The PII never entered the Claude context window. Plaid handled the SSN, the driver's license, and the selfie. The flow returned a verification token back to the agent without exposing anything to the model.

That was the only human-touch step. Everything after the Plaid completion ran without me typing further prompts.

Forming the Entity

Claude returned the Delaware filing confirmation next. The state of Delaware accepted the C Corp formation through the Delaware Division of Corporations online filing path. The Certificate of Incorporation arrived as a PDF link in the chat. The certificate listed the registered agent, the authorized share count (10,000,000 shares of common stock at $0.00001 par value), and the incorporator (Meow's filing partner).

Claude then submitted the EIN application to the IRS using the standard online Form SS-4 flow. The IRS is the variable step in this loop; the EIN comes back when the IRS processes the application.

Issuing the Founder Common Stock

While the EIN was pending, Claude prepared the founder stock issuance package. The package included the founder's stock purchase agreement, the founder's stock certificate, and the cap table entry. The agent confirmed the founder allocation (8,000,000 shares of common stock at $0.00001 par value, total purchase price of $80) and the vesting schedule (4-year vest, 1-year cliff, monthly vesting after the cliff).

I signed the stock purchase agreement in the chat. The agent recorded the stock issuance date, which is the date the 30-day 83(b) election window starts.

Preparing the 83(b) Election

The 83(b) election is the most consequential filing for a founder with vesting stock, and the most procedurally specific. The election tells the IRS that the founder elects to be taxed on the value of the stock at the date of issuance rather than on the value at each vesting date. For founder stock issued at par value at incorporation, the par value is the entire economic basis at issuance, so the election locks the founder's tax basis at the par-value purchase price.

The filing window is 30 days from the stock issuance date. This window is mandated by Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. If the founder misses it, the election cannot be made later, and the founder will be taxed at each vesting date on the spread between the par value paid and the fair market value at vesting.

Claude prepared the 83(b) election form, populated it with the founder data already verified through Plaid, and surfaced the signed PDF. The agent then walked me through the certified-mail filing process: print the signed election, mail it via USPS certified mail with return receipt requested to the IRS Service Center where I file my personal tax return, keep the green return receipt as proof of timely filing, and retain a copy with the founder records.

The agent does not mail the election on the founder's behalf. The certified-mail step is the founder's responsibility. The agent surfaces the form, the mailing address based on the founder's state of residence, and a reminder of the 30-day IRS-mandated window.

Opening the Meow Account

The EIN landed and Claude confirmed the Meow application was submitted next. The application package included the Certificate of Incorporation, the EIN confirmation letter, the founder identification data already verified through Plaid, the founder common stock issuance record, and the source-of-funds responses I gave the agent during onboarding.

The partner-bank compliance review ran, and the agent returned the live account number and routing number once the review cleared. The account is a business bank account through Meow. The customer-configured capability toggles for wire, ACH, card issuance, and payment initiation default to off and have to be turned on explicitly.

Issuing the First Card and Sending the First Invoice

Claude issued a virtual corporate card with a $5,000 monthly cap and a label. The card number returned in the chat. I added it to my password manager and to my Apple Wallet from the chat instructions.

Claude then sent the first invoice. I gave it the customer name, the amount, and the description. The invoice was generated, branded with the company name, and dispatched to the customer's email. The customer was a friend I had cleared in advance to receive the test invoice; they confirmed receipt.

The agent did the work. I answered six questions, verified my identity through Plaid, and signed a stock purchase agreement.

What This Path Does Not Include

The C Corp formation flow through Meow covers the incorporation, the EIN application, the founder common stock issuance, the 83(b) election preparation, the bank account opening, and the first card and invoice. Three things it does not cover, and which a venture-backed founder will need to handle separately.

Bylaws and board adoption. The Certificate of Incorporation creates the corporation, but the bylaws govern its internal operations. Bylaws are typically adopted by the board of directors at the organizational meeting, alongside the election of officers and the ratification of the founder stock issuance. Most founders use their counsel or a service like Carta or Pulley to handle the organizational consent and the bylaws adoption. The Meow agent does not adopt bylaws on the founder's behalf.

Option pool authorization. Most venture-backed C Corps authorize an employee option pool at the seed round, not at incorporation. The pool is typically sized at 10 to 20 percent of post-money equity and is created by an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation and a board resolution adopting the equity incentive plan. The Meow agent does not authorize the option pool at incorporation; the founder addresses this with counsel when the seed round closes.

Founder PIIA. The founder Proprietary Information and Inventions Assignment agreement transfers IP created by the founder before incorporation to the corporation. Standard practice for venture-backed founders. The Meow agent does not draft the PIIA; founders typically use their counsel or a template from a venture firm's open-source legal documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the C Corp formation flow do through Meow? The agent walks the founder through forming a Delaware C Corp, authorizing the standard 10,000,000 common share structure at $0.00001 par value, issuing founder common stock with a vesting schedule, preparing the 83(b) election for the founder to mail to the IRS, opening a business bank account through Meow, issuing the founder corporate card, and sending the first invoice in a single conversation. The founder answers six questions, verifies identity through Plaid, signs the stock purchase agreement, and mails the 83(b) election within the 30-day IRS-mandated window.

Which state should I incorporate my C Corp in? Delaware is the default for venture-backed startups. The Delaware General Corporation Law is the most well-understood corporate law in the US, the Delaware Court of Chancery is the most experienced court for corporate disputes, and the venture standard Series A documents assume a Delaware C Corp. The Meow agent supports incorporation in any US state; the choice is at the second question.

What is the 83(b) election and why does it matter? Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code lets a founder elect to be taxed on the fair market value of stock at the date of grant rather than at each vesting date. For founder stock issued at par value at incorporation, the par value is the entire economic basis at issuance, so the 83(b) election locks the founder's tax basis at the par-value purchase price. Without the election, the founder is taxed at each vesting date on the spread between the par value paid and the fair market value at vesting, which can be substantial after a priced round.

Does the agent file the 83(b) election or just prepare it? The agent prepares the 83(b) election with the founder data already verified through Plaid, surfaces the signed PDF, and provides the certified-mail filing instructions. The founder mails the election to the IRS Service Center where they file their personal tax return, within 30 days of the stock issuance date. The 30-day window is the IRS-mandated filing window under Section 83(b).

What about the option pool authorization? The option pool is typically authorized at the seed round, not at incorporation. The Meow agent does not authorize the option pool at incorporation. Founders typically address the option pool with their counsel when the seed round closes, as part of the amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation that accompanies the priced round.

What about founder PIIAs and the IP assignment? The founder Proprietary Information and Inventions Assignment is standard practice for venture-backed founders. The Meow agent does not draft the PIIA. Founders typically use their counsel or a template from a venture firm's open-source legal documents.

Can I convert my existing LLC to a C Corp through Meow? The Meow agent supports forming a new entity. Converting an existing LLC to a C Corp is a separate transaction (typically a statutory conversion or a tax-free Section 351 contribution) and is best handled with counsel. The agent does not run conversions today; founders forming a new C Corp use the path described above.

Will the same flow work from Cursor or ChatGPT instead of Claude? Yes. Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini all support MCP and Meow's endpoint. Claude was used for this walkthrough because the conversation-style framing reads well as a transcript. The underlying capabilities are equivalent across the four clients.

Try It Yourself

Open Claude. Add the Meow MCP server.

claude mcp add --transport http meow https://mcp.meow.com/cli

Confirm with claude /mcp.

Paste the prompt.

I want to get started with Meow for my AI agent. Read the docs at https://www.meow.com/skills.md and then set it up.

Pick C Corp at the first question. Pick Delaware at the second. Accept the standard 10,000,000 common share structure or substitute your own. Pick the founder allocation and the vesting schedule. Verify identity through Plaid. Sign the stock purchase agreement. The agent prepares the 83(b) election. Mail it certified to the IRS within 30 days of the stock issuance date.

A funded Delaware C Corp, a corporate card, and a sent invoice come back from the agent. The 83(b) is in your hand to mail.

If you would rather start with the dashboard instead of the terminal, apply at meow.com. Either path lands in the same place.

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