Case Studies

Software-as-a-Service Tax Credits Platform

The first big idea from our founders, a B2B SaaS platform for tax credits and incentives. As experts in the tax credits space, we had each brainstormed a better system for years before we finally teamed up to create Tax Credit Hero ("TCH").

We saw this as a problem easily broken out into three parts:

Quantification
Qualification/Substantiation
User Journey/User Interface

The first part was relatively simple. We had already developed a robust calculation template and programmed macros to automate various aspects of it. It was routinely tested and improved in our own R&D credit practice. Any developer could translate our template logic and programs into a web-based language for TCH.

The next aspect was much more difficult. Tax law is complex, every taxpayer situation is unique, and the IRS continuously moves the goalposts for what is needed to perfect an R&D claim. However, several of our competitors had already gone to market with systems that advertised AI-assisted R&D tax credit claims. Our research showed that these systems were either white-labeled document sharing/storage repositories or websites with integrated chatbots. Unfazed by these revelations, we continued to explore solutions.

During the time he spent at Big 4 firms, Jason had worked with a team to leverage AI for R&D credit claims. The results at the time were not promising for our purposes, but AI was continuously improving so we met with clients and other experts that developed AI and machine learning tools. From these discussions, we learned that the current state of AI remained incapable of reliably predicting something as complex as R&D credit qualification. Moreover, the state of AI was such that it would likely be another decade (or more) before it could accurately predict qualification. A high-throughput machine learning approach (like speech recognition and translation tools) was also not possible because the volume of inputs needed to build a database simply did not exist. We had to find a different way of accomplishing qualification and substantiation.

During our research phase, we vetted developers and found the ideal team to work with. We also had a UI/UX developer in our network that does amazing work. So, we had solved all but one of our problems…

We met to develop the system requirements and user journey when Jason had an idea on how to accomplish qualification and substantiation came to us. We leveraged our own database to create parameters for qualification that we could implement in TCH without the need for human analysis. We developed the framework and tested it on several use cases, and it worked. We built out the rest of the system and our development team created our minimum viable product. We rolled out the MVP with one of our referral partners and spent a year beta testing and adding functionalities to fine-tune TCH into a system ready for commercial launch.

CTA Service Line

Our professional networks were very stressed out about the implications of the Corporate Transparency Act. The new filing requirements, policed by FinCEN with stiff penalties for non-compliance, were predicted to have an overwhelming impact on small businesses. The National Small Business Association estimated compliance to cost small businesses up to $8,000 in the first year (2024). This was the type of burden we wanted to alleviate for small business owners.

We developed a process to serve small businesses leveraging technology and our client service roots. The result is an automated information gathering and filing system that is much more user-friendly than the FinCEN portal. We also implemented a proactive approach to continuous monitoring to assist in ongoing compliance with both automated tools and live human follow-up.

Family Business Growth Plan

We were recently presented with an opportunity to partner with a small business owner with a dream to build upon a brand started by his grandfather and continued by his father and uncle. This third-generation family business owner wanted to expand his presence in the market and continue providing the same level of quality and expertise his family name represented.

An expert craftsman, our client’s challenges were an insurmountable workload and a lack of bandwidth and desire to manage the day-to-day business operations. He needed a partner to create a business plan and assist him in executing it to grow.

We developed an idea for next steps and wrote up a business plan. We began recruiting talent for sales and operations, leveraging the client’s network with minimal involvement from him. Furthermore, to facilitate onboarding and training, we worked in the field with the client to understand his processes and drafted internal SOPs to execute for new hires. Our client gets to continue doing what he loves while our team handles what he refers to as “the boring stuff” and the family business gets bigger and stronger.

New Product Formulation

A friend of ours has a company that makes handcrafted soap. Recently, we were having lunch and catching up when the business owner mentioned a new organic product line he wanted to bring to market. The problem was that the price point and chemistry were hurdles that he was not sure how to overcome. Thankfully, Les has a background in Chemistry and was eager to help.

We listened to the business owner explain his concerns about cashflow and all the different hats he was wearing and decided to propose a success-based arrangement. We would do the experimentation to develop a formulation that met his requirements (product specifications and production parameters). We would retain the rights to the formulation and license it to him pursuant to a royalty agreement based on the number of units sold. In addition, we would use what we learned from his production process to suggest process improvements to enhance efficiencies and, thus, increase profitability per unit sold for all products. The fees for this work were also contingent upon measurable cost reductions on an annual basis.

In summary, by leveraging our knowledge and expertise, the business owner had a risk-free way to bring a new product to market and increase profitability.

Non-Profit SaaS Platform

Our client had a dream – a literal dream, not a metaphorical one – about doing more for his community. He saw it as a sign that he should do more for disadvantaged people in his home country. His idea was an easy-to-use donation tool that could be adapted to any non-profit, charitable cause. After developing his MVP, he tested it during a baseball game with a prominent sports team. Unfortunately, the application did not work well enough, but before he could make improvements, COVID-19 happened, and everything came to a halt.

As businesses opened back up and people started returning to public events, our client’s vision came back to the forefront. This time, he came to us, and we were happy to help. We advised him on a more concrete process for developing the application, found him a developer, and provided resources for various items that required some research.