12 business formation terms starting with S — plain-language definitions for founders incorporating across jurisdictions.
The SEC registration statement that a US private company files to take its shares public for the first time, the central document of an Initial Public Offering.
A US small-business corporation that elects pass-through taxation under Subchapter S, capped at 100 shareholders who must be US persons.
The process of checking customers, counterparties, and transactions against government sanctions lists (OFAC SDN, EU consolidated list, UN sanctions, UK OFSI list).
The 2002 US federal law that overhauled financial reporting and corporate governance for public companies after the Enron and WorldCom collapses.
The Portuguese single-member private limited company, allowing one person to operate with limited liability under the same Lda regime.
The Portuguese private limited company by quotas, the standard form for Portuguese SMEs and foreign-owned operating companies.
A pan-European public limited company that can move its registered office between EU member states without dissolution and reincorporation.
A blank-check company that raises capital in an IPO with the sole purpose of later acquiring a private operating business.
A separate legal entity created to isolate a specific transaction, asset, or risk from its sponsor's balance sheet.
An independent examination of a company's financial statements required by law to express an opinion on whether they give a true and fair view.
A company controlled by another company, called its parent, usually through majority ownership of voting shares.
A class of equity carrying multiple votes per share, typically held by founders to preserve control after dilution.
