Company Formation
The process of forming a company (startup) can be done online by individuals or with the assistance of an attorney. The first step to make your business legal is to decide what kind of business entity (legal structure) is best for you. This is an important step in entrepreneurship.
-
The Kansas Business One Stop is the one-stop shop for planning, starting, operating and growing a business in Kansas.
Search for company name availability on the Kansas Business Center website
Create a KanAccess account to begin process of business registration online with the Kansas Secretary of State for corporations, LLCs and LPs
Follow links appropriate for type of business
-
The Missouri Corporations Unit of the Secretary of State is responsible for the creation and maintenance filings for all domestic and out-of-state business entities doing business in Missouri.
Search for company name availability.
Follow links appropriate to type of business. For articles of incorporation, you can use a standard set of articles that outline the owners. File the articles and pay fees via credit card. If you want to pay through a company bank account, you must establish the bank account first with sufficient funds to support the registration process.
Obtain a Federal Tax Identification Number
Obtain a Certificate in Good Standing from Kansas or Missouri
Establish a bank account
Register for state taxes through the Department of Revenue and Department of Labor
Obtain appropriate industry and professional licenses and registrations
Check with the local city and county for local permits and registrations
Acquire a Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number. A DUNS number is a unique identifier assigned to businesses, following a patented identity process identifies the company as being unique from any others. To expedite the process if applying for federal grants, calling is suggested.
Applying for Federal Grants
To apply for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant numerous accounts need to be established prior to submission.
What is the SBIR program? A highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization (Accessed Jan. 30, 2020 at https://www.sbir.gov/about).
What is the STTR program? It expands funding opportunities in the federal innovation research and development arena. Central to the program is expansion of the public/private sector partnership to include the joint venture opportunities for small businesses and nonprofit research institutions (Accessed Jan. 30, 2020 at https://www.sbir.gov/about ). The DUNS number is needed for all registrations so do it first. Also, all registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take six weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission. The accounts are:
System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
SBA Company Registry –See “SF424(R&R) Other Project Information Component” for instructions on how to register and how to attach proof of registration to your grant application package. SBA Company registration is NOT required before SAM, Grants.gov or eRA Commons registration.
eRA Commons - Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration, but all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
Grants.gov – Both a DUNS number and SAM registration are needed in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.
Notes: 1) Login to these websites periodically, as some will automatically expire passwords if the account is not accessed. 2) These websites may have incorrect or outdated instructions. If problems are encountered while following guidance, call the appropriate help desk.
Other Considerations
Federal Contacting Assistance Programs are designed to help small businesses secure at least 23% of all federal contracting dollars annually.
Explore the advantages of small, women, minority and veter-an-owned businesses through the Associate of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers in Kansas and Missouri.
University of Kansas faculty and staff
If the company is going to use intellectual property owned by the University of Kansas, contact University of Kansas Center for Technology Commercialization (KUCTC) at kuctc@ku.edu. It is recommended that the company execute an Option or a License Agreement with KUCTC when an SBIR/STTR is funded. KUCTC staff will guide the company through the licensing process.
Resources
KCSourceLink provides an online startup guide that helps people start a business with information for Kansas and Missouri
Early-stage business set up checklist
Footnotes
FUNDING SUPPORT
This work was supported by a CTSA grant from NCATS awarded to the University of Kansas for Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute (# UL1TR002366). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or NCATS.