I’m a three-time founder, and I’ve stared into the abyss twice when I had to say goodbye to two of those attempts: an app I built brick-by-brick with one of my best friends; another a 25-person company, with millions of dollars in revenue, that ultimately couldn’t weather the storm.
So I know this firsthand when I say: Founders get an enormous amount of support at the start. Accelerators, investors, communities, playbooks for every stage. And at the end, they get almost nothing.
I built Starcycle for that part of the journey.
It’s already hard enough to have to make the decision, and to live with all of its ugliness, sadness, and grief. Founders already give everything they have to their companies; you shouldn’t still have to try and pour when you have nothing left in your cup.
We’re here to help you close a chapter with care and dignity, faster and more easily - to turn months of admin and operational grind into several painless days and weeks, and to give you the greatest gift we can offer: peace of mind.
I called the company Starcycle because I deeply believe in rebirth. Stars never die; they simply reassemble and begin anew. And founders are, by nature, mini constellations of the most resilient stardust. And we’ll always try again.
To be able to work with you is an honor. Go forth and try; we’ll be cheering you on (and filing your tax returns).
Jaclyn Siu
Founder & CEO
About Starcycle
Starcycle is a company shutdown service that handles state filings, key dates, contracts and records for founders closing a U.S. LLC or corporation.
If your company is registered in one state and has no investors or active contracts, a short intake of mostly yes/no questions gets you a quote right away. Simple cases start at $399, and state fees are paid separately at each state's own rate.
Multiple states, investors, a cap table or contracts still running put you on our white-glove path. A person on our team builds a dated plan with you, quotes it upfront and works it with you until the company is closed.
We prepare and submit your articles of dissolution, certificates of cancellation and EIN cancellation, plus IRS Form 966 for corporations, in each state where the company is registered. Final federal and state tax returns are arranged through our partner CPAs or your own.
Franchise tax due dates, filing windows and contract renewal dates sit together in your dashboard. An automatic good-standing check across all 50 states finds registrations you may have forgotten about in states where the company barely operated.
We list every contract and subscription you're still paying for, with the dates that avoid early-termination fees and auto-renewals. Every filing, contract and closure document stays in one place, so you can find it if a question comes up a year from now.
Funds closing portfolio companies get a plan for each company, with the board and stockholder documents prepared alongside the fund's counsel and CPA. Private equity and venture capital funds each have their own page.
Working with Starcycle saved me over $6,000 in legal fees and countless hours of effort.
Climate Tech Founder
The flat fee and proactive support gave me confidence at every step.
MarTech Founder
You see the price of the whole shutdown before work starts, from $399 for simple cases, and the quote is locked in once you accept it. The price is published on our site, so you can check it before you ever speak to us.
Small-business owners and startup founders get the same service, from a single-member LLC to a Delaware C-corp with a cap table. We take every U.S. founder closing a company that can pay its debts, and the plan scales with how complex the company is.
Drafts are generated quickly, but no letter or filing goes out until someone on our team has reviewed and approved it. You get the speed of software with a named person accountable for what is sent to the state.
Your plan, deadlines, documents and filing status live in one dashboard instead of a dozen browser tabs and a shut-down inbox. When the company is closed, the records stay there for you.
Jaclyn Siu built Starcycle after winding down two of her own companies with almost no help at the end. The service is organized around the list of tasks she had to work out alone.
Step 1
A short intake about your entity type, the states you're registered in and what's still running, such as contracts, payroll or a lease.
Step 2
Simple cases get a quote right away, and complex cases get a dated action plan with an upfront quote.
Step 3
Every letter and filing is drafted, then reviewed and approved by a person on our team before anything is sent.
Step 4
Filings are confirmed, accounts are closed, and your records stay in your dashboard.
No, Starcycle is a shutdown service that handles the administrative side of closing a company: filings, deadlines, contracts and records. For legal or tax questions about your own case, we work with partner lawyers and CPAs, or yours, and we can make intros.
Starcycle works with any founder closing a U.S. LLC or corporation, from a single-member landscaping or retail LLC to a venture-backed Delaware C-corp. Simple cases use the instant-quote path, and complex ones get a dedicated team member.
Simple cases start at $399, and you see the quote before any work starts. Complex cases, such as a Delaware C-corp with investors or registrations in several states, get one upfront quote once we know what the shutdown involves; state fees are paid at each state's rate.
We arrange your final federal and state returns through our partner CPAs, or we work with your own CPA. A CPA prepares the returns, and we track the deadlines alongside your other filings.
A typical Starcycle shutdown takes 8 to 10 weeks, and your plan lists the dates for your own case. The main variables are your entity type, how many states you're registered in and how quickly the states respond.
You'll need a CPA for the final tax returns, and we arrange that through our partners or yours. A lawyer is the right call for judgment on your specific case, such as disputes or a company that can't pay its debts, and we can make intros.
Talk to an attorney first, because an assignment for the benefit of creditors or bankruptcy may be the right route, and Starcycle doesn't handle either. Once your attorney has a plan, we can handle the state filings and records that remain.
Yes, funds use Starcycle to wind down portfolio companies, with board and stockholder documents prepared alongside the fund's counsel and CPA. Each company gets its own dated plan and quote.
Starcycle, Inc. is a New York company founded and led by Jaclyn Siu, a serial founder who has closed two companies of her own. You can read what founders say about us and see how we compare with other shutdown services.
Starcycle (starcycle.ai) is a U.S. company shutdown service and has no connection to StarCycle or any other fitness brand.
Shutting down your business is tough, but you’re not alone.
We’re here to help.
Starcycle