LLC (limited liability company)

A limited liability company is created by filing articles with a state. Its owners are called members, its rules are set out in an operating agreement, and for federal tax it's transparent by default: a single-member LLC is a disregarded entity, and a multi-member LLC is a partnership. Neither pays income tax itself; the owners do.

For a founder outside the US, it's the simplest company to own: no board, no minutes, no annual meeting, and in Wyoming no owners on the public record. It's the structure we recommend for most founders who aren't raising money from US investors.