Avvo Reports Record Increase in Startup Questions and Answers from Silicon Valley

Site's Startup Related Pageviews Increased 3000% in Six Months - Another Sign of Soaring Entrepreneurship and New Business Formation in Silicon Valley

Seattle, Wash — Avvo (www.avvo.com) the largest legally related Q&A website, which offers a community of rated lawyers answering consumers questions at a 97% response rate, has seen 30 times more pageviews for startup-related terms from Silicon Valley over the past six months. This includes terms such as “incorporation,” “tech startup,” “online company,” “non-disclosure agreement,” “intellectual property, “non-compete agreement,” “sale of business,” among others.

In addition, during that same time period, pageviews across all of Avvo.com related to “incorporating a company” and “limited liability companies” were up 400% and 600% respectively, among Silicon Valley users.

Several other startup-centric cities also reported tremendous increases including Austin (871%), New York (78%), Seattle (72%) and Houston (33%). However, surprisingly, Groupon’s birthplace, Chicago, posted a sharp decline (-90%) as did Boston (-64%), typically a hotbed of biotech startup activity.

Other areas of the country that saw a decline in Avvo pageviews for startup related terms include San Diego (-86%), Dallas (-36%), Phoenix (-19%) and Los Angeles (-11%).

“While there are differing industry opinions on a current tech bubble, we are seeing a major spike in activity in the classic startup markets,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.  “The jump in Silicon Valley is staggering.  If it’s not a bubble, it is at least the most activity we have seen out of the Valley since our launch in 2007.”

To see a complete representation of Avvo’s legal startup Q&A data, please take a look at this infographic.

Below please find a sample of recent legal startup-related questions asked of lawyers on Avvo:

  1. Should I incorporate my tech startup in Delaware or California – what are the benefits?
  2. Does sweat equity have value in an S Corp? How does sweat equity compare to a cash investment in a startup?
  3. Is a verbal partnership agreement for a startup binding in California?
  4. We invested money in a startup biz and the relationship has now gone sour. What are our rights as financial investors?
  5. I did not file for section 83b election within 30 days of C Corp startup conversion. What are the options now?
  6. How do I fire the co-founder of my startup?
  7. Will an LLC save me money on federal taxes as a startup?
  8. My startup company is being accused of trademark infringement. What should we do?
  9. Partnership and shares in startup?
  10. What is the Business License/Incorporation requirement for startup?

Avvo’s legal Q&A forum is the definitive resource for free answers to all legal queries, including those about startups. Avvo has tens of thousands of lawyers participating daily, answering questions regarding incorporation, venture capital, intellectual property or any legal issue for that matter. In addition, people can educate themselves by browsing the tens of thousands of startup and small business questions already answered on Avvo.

About Avvo
Avvo empowers consumers to handle legal and medical matters with confidence.  Avvo offers a free Question and Answer forum, where consumers can ask questions – anonymously if need be — and receive answers from rated doctors and lawyers.  Avvo offers free ratings and profiles for over 90 percent of the practicing lawyers and doctors in the US, including the industry-leading Avvo Rating, patient and client reviews and peer endorsements.  For each professional, Avvo also researches and displays their education, work experience, industry achievements and disciplinary records.  Launched in 2007, Avvo is privately held, with funding from private investors, Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.avvo.com