# C-corp

Concept · [Fundraising and equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fundraising)

Also called: C corporation, corporation, ccorp, inc, incorporate

C corporation. A legal structure where the company is its own separate entity and issues [shares](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/equity) of stock. [Venture capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/venture-capital) firms generally expect to invest in a C-corp, because shares make ownership easy to divide and hand out.

**For example:** A [founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/founder) who started as an [LLC](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/llc) decides to raise [venture capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/venture-capital), so she works with a lawyer to convert the business to a C-corp first.

## Connects to (11)

- [LLC](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/llc): Limited liability company.
- [Equity](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/equity): Ownership in a company.
- [Venture capital](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/venture-capital): Money that professional investment firms put into young companies in exchange for equity.
- [Board of directors](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/board-of-directors): The group that a corporation's shareholders elect to oversee the company.
- [Fiduciary duty](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fiduciary-duty): A legal duty to act in someone else's best interest and not your own.
- [Incorporation in Delaware](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/delaware-incorporation): Forming a company as a corporation under the law of the state of Delaware.
- [S-corp](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/s-corp): A corporation that has chosen a US tax status in which profits and losses pass through to the owners' own tax returns.
- [EIN](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ein): Employer Identification Number.
- [Stripe Atlas](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/stripe-atlas): A service from Stripe that forms a US company for founders.
- [Spinout](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/spinout): A new, separate company created from part of an existing company, university or lab, often taking a product, team or technology with it.
- [Oklahoma Bar Association](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/oklahoma-bar-association): The association of lawyers in Oklahoma, based at the Oklahoma Bar Center in Oklahoma City.

> This glossary is plain-language orientation, not legal or financial advice. Before you decide on a company structure, a contract, taxes or a fundraising deal, talk with a lawyer or an accountant.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/c-corp