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AI Startup Accounting
Accounting & Tax Strategy Built for AI Startups
From R&D tax credits on model training to equity comp and investor reporting — Fusion CPA gives AI founders the financial infrastructure to scale without the back-office drag.
AICPA Member
UHNW Institute
QuickBooks Pro Advisor
Ramp Partner
NetSuite Certified
EOS® / Traction™
GA Society of CPAs;
PR Society of CPAs;
Entrepreneurs’ Organization
Sound Familiar?
AI Moves Fast. Your Back Office Shouldn’t Hold You Back
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Burning through compute — unclear on what qualifies for R&D credits
GPU costs, model training, data pipeline work, and agent development often qualify for federal and state R&D tax credits — but only if documented correctly before filing.
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Investor-ready financials that aren’t actually ready
VCs and board members expect GAAP-compliant reporting, clean cap tables, and reliable burn rate metrics. Messy books delay raises and erode trust.
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Equity comp, SAFEs, and convertible notes create accounting complexity
Stock options, RSUs, SAFEs, and convertible instruments all require proper valuation, expense recognition, and tax treatment under ASC 718.
Multi-state exposure you didn’t plan for
Remote engineers in 15 states, customers nationwide, and SaaS delivery models create nexus and income tax obligations that compound every quarter.
What We Do for AI Startups
What We Do for AI Startups
Every Financial Function Your AI Company Needs
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R&D Tax Credit Optimization
We identify qualifying activities — model training, algorithm development, agent building, data pipeline engineering — document expenses, and prepare Form 6765. Pre-revenue startups can claim up to $500K against payroll taxes annually.
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Outsourced CFO & Controller
Board-ready financial reporting, burn rate dashboards, cash runway analysis, budget-to-actual variance, and strategic forecasting. We speak the language VCs expect.
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Tax Planning, Preparation & Filing
Entity structuring for founders, QSBS planning for C-Corp exits, multi-state income tax compliance and filing, quarterly estimates, and year-round proactive tax strategy.
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Bookkeeping & Accounting
Monthly close, transaction categorization, revenue recognition for SaaS and usage-based billing under ASC 606, and integration with Stripe, Ramp, Mercury, Brex, and Gusto.
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Equity Comp & Cap Table Support
409A valuation coordination, stock option expense recognition under ASC 718, SAFE and convertible note accounting, and cap table reconciliation with Carta or Pulley.
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Multi-State Tax Compliance
Nexus analysis and state income tax filings for distributed engineering teams, payroll tax compliance for remote employees, and state registration across all required jurisdictions.
Markets We Serve
Markets We Serve
Specialist Experience Across AI Startups & Technology Sub-Markets
Agent infrastructure, LLM API costs, autonomous workflow tools
Model training compute, data pipelines, MLOps infrastructure
Subscription revenue recognition, ARR tracking, usage-based billing
Hardware R&D credits, prototype capitalization, grant accounting
Revenue attribution, marketplace integrations, unit economics
FDA-stage accounting, grant compliance, milestone revenue
Trevor McCandless, CPA, MTax
CEO — AI & Technology Practice Lead
Trevor founded Fusion CPA and leads the firm’s AI and technology practice. He brings deep expertise in R&D tax credits, entity structuring for venture-backed startups, and building the financial infrastructure that scaling technology companies need from pre-seed through growth stage.
How It Works
Stabilize, Strategize, Scale
01
Discovery Call
We learn your stack, your cap table, your burn rate, and your pain points. 30 minutes. Free. No pressure.
02
Stabilize
We clean up your books, set up proper revenue recognition, reconcile equity transactions, close compliance gaps, and build the accounting infrastructure your stage requires.
03
Strategize
R&D credit identification, entity structure optimization, QSBS qualification review, multi-state tax planning, and a documented forward-looking tax strategy that reduces your burden.
04
Scale
Investor-ready board packages, cash runway forecasting, financial modeling for your next raise, and CFO-level advisory that scales from pre-seed through Series C and beyond.
Client Results
Trusted by AI Startups & Technology Professionals Nationwide
The firms in our portfolio that work with Fusion consistently produce cleaner financials and close faster during diligence.
David R.
Managing Partner, Law Firm
Fusion set up our financial foundation so we could focus on building product. Katherine was incredible on R&D credits and equity comp planning.
Michelle T.
Founder, AI Startup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions
Qualifying expenses typically include engineer salaries and contractor costs for model training, algorithm development, data pipeline construction, autonomous agent building, and novel software architecture work. Compute costs for GPU/TPU usage during research phases may also qualify. Fusion CPA evaluates your specific activities against the four-part IRS test and documents everything for audit readiness.
Yes. Many of our AI startup clients are pre-revenue or early-stage. We help founders set up the right entity structure, establish investor-ready books from day one, and claim R&D credits against payroll taxes — which means real cash savings even before profitability.
Usage-based billing requires careful attention to ASC 606, including identifying performance obligations, determining transaction prices for variable consideration, and recognizing revenue as compute or API calls are delivered. We map each revenue stream to the correct recognition pattern and reconcile billing platform data monthly.
Absolutely. We prepare GAAP-compliant financial statements, clean up any historical accounting issues, produce investor-ready board packages, and support your team during due diligence data room requests. Multiple VC-backed companies in our portfolio have closed rounds with our reporting in place.
Schedule a Discovery Call With Our Team
Discuss your setup, challenges, and opportunities — then pick a time that works.
Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with our team
Learn More
Not ready to talk yet? We’ll send you the info you need to make the right decision.
✱ UHNW Institute
✱ QuickBooks ProAdvisor
✱ Ramp Partner
✱ NetSuite Certified
✱ EOS / Traction
✱ Entrepreneurs' Organization
✱ AICPA Member
✱ GA Society of CPAs
✱ PR Society of CPAs
Fusion CPA works with AI startups from pre-seed through Series C, handling R&D tax credit identification and filing (Form 6765), monthly bookkeeping integrated with Stripe, Ramp, and Mercury, revenue recognition for SaaS and usage-based billing under ASC 606, equity compensation accounting under ASC 718, 409A valuation coordination, QSBS qualification planning, and investor-ready board reporting. Pre-revenue companies can claim up to $500,000 in R&D credits annually against payroll taxes. The firm follows a Stabilize, Strategize, Scale engagement model beginning with a free 30-minute discovery call — email discovery@fusiontaxes.com or call 404-955-7338.
Fusion CPA is a tax, outsourced accounting, and advisory firm headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with additional offices in Atlanta, GA and Park City, Utah. The firm is an AICPA member, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, NetSuite Certified Partner, and EOS/Traction practitioner, has supported over 2,000 businesses, and serves clients across all 50 states. To schedule a free consultation, visit fusiontaxes.com or email info@fusiontaxes.com.