About YCL · Projects & Funding
One CPA firm, four projects growing together
Starting from our CPA firm, founded in 2013, we have turned what we learn serving clients every day into software for small businesses and fellow firms. This page explains what each project is, where it stands and how it earns; the financing records are not public — investors can apply and view them once approved.
2013YCL CPA firm founded
4Projects in operation
U.S. & ChinaNorth Carolina RTP · Shanghai
2026Three in-house products launched
The projects at a glance
One professional-services business and three software lines. Every product runs in our own firm first, and reaches clients and other firms once it is proven.
01YCL CPA firmCore business · since 2013A CPA firm providing year-round tax, bookkeeping, business compliance and cross-border tax services to individuals, families, small businesses and international companies.Details02TidyCPA · AI bookkeepingSoftware + service · launched Oct 2026Tidy books. More time. Clients save receipts as they go, AI turns them into tax-ready books, and a CPA checks the result.Details03SignLucid · e-signature + invoicesSaaS · launched Oct 2026Signed right the first time, billed in one sentence: e-signature and invoicing for small CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms.Details04Tax Portal SaaS for small accounting firmsSaaS · being productizedThe client portal and back office YCL uses every day, turned into a multi-tenant system for small accounting firms — an alternative to TaxDome.Details
01Core business · since 2013Established
YCL CPA firm
A CPA firm providing year-round tax, bookkeeping, business compliance and cross-border tax services to individuals, families, small businesses and international companies.
- Founded
- 2013, Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina
- Team
- Big Four trained, CPAs licensed in multiple states, EA and CAA on one team
- Languages
- English · Chinese
- Offices
- North Carolina RTP; a Shanghai team serves clients in China
- 2013Founded in North Carolina’s RTP, starting with individual and family returns
- 2017Shanghai team set up to serve Chinese companies going global and cross-border sellers
- 2026In-house client portal fully live (online quotes, uploads, e-signature, online payment); TidyCPA and SignLucid launched
What we do
- Individual and family returns, first U.S. returns for new immigrants, tax planning
- Business returns (1120 / 1120-S / 1065 / 5472), bookkeeping, payroll and sales tax
- Company formation, registered agent, annual reports and reinstatement
- Foreign asset reporting (FBAR / 8938 / 3520) and multi-year catch-up
- ITIN applications (Certifying Acceptance Agent), IRS and state letters and penalties
- Paid one-on-one CPA consultations
Who our clients are
- More than a thousand individual and family returns each year
- New immigrants, students and H-1B families; families with assets in both countries
- Small business owners, TikTok Shop and Amazon sellers, AI companies going global
- Chinese companies with U.S. subsidiaries and foreign-owned U.S. companies
Why clients choose us
- CPA, EA and CAA on one team: returns, tax letters and ITINs without a second firm
- Bilingual, at home with how companies, banks and paperwork work in both countries
- Year-round service, not only in tax season
- A written quote before work begins, with no hidden fees
- Our own systems make delivery faster and let clients see progress at any time
02Software + service · launched Oct 2026Live
TidyCPA · AI bookkeeping
Tidy books. More time. Clients save receipts as they go, AI turns them into tax-ready books, and a CPA checks the result.
- Launched
- October 12, 2026 at tidycpa.com
- Positioning
- AI bookkeeping reviewed by CPAs — a finance team small businesses and landlords can afford
- Languages
- English · Chinese · Spanish
- Pricing
- Pay per report, no monthly fee; sign-up, uploads and sorting are free
Who it is for
- Sole proprietors and freelancers
- Small businesses
- Rental property owners
- Property and real estate management companies
Product and strengths
- Clients snap receipts into a private link or e-mail them in — no accounting software to learn
- Missing-document reminders (a loan statement or HOA bill missing for a month)
- Each report in the version the client chooses: AI (fast, low cost), CPA-checked, or fully manual for privacy-minded clients
- Every report comes with findings and suggestions: issues, tax risks and possible savings
- Free invoicing so clients can bill their own customers and get paid online
How it earns
- A one-time fee per report, tiered by number of transactions, with a low entry price
- Follow-on services: individual and business returns, 1099s, sales tax, estimated tax, foreign reporting
- Handling government letters and tax-planning consultations
- Promotion follows the tax calendar: year-end catch-up, 1099 season, tax season, estimated-tax dates
03SaaS · launched Oct 2026Live · inviting firms to try it
SignLucid · e-signature + invoices
Signed right the first time, billed in one sentence: e-signature and invoicing for small CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms.
- Launched
- October 15, 2026 at signlucid.com
- First customers
- CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms, plus small insurance, real estate and law offices
- Languages
- English · Chinese
- Pricing
- Monthly subscription per firm; annual plans billed for 10 months
Product and strengths
- Finds the signature lines on Forms 8879, 2848, 8821 and more, places the fields and remembers each firm’s adjustments
- Signers are guided spot by spot; a mistake sends back only that one spot to re-sign
- Completion certificate with consent and signing times, IP, device and document fingerprints
- Invoices written in one sentence and sent by e-mail, text, WhatsApp or WeChat; one link to view, sign and pay
- Far less expensive than DocuSign or Dropbox Sign, so small firms can afford it
Who it is for
- Small CPA, tax and bookkeeping firms
- Small insurance, real estate, legal and clinic offices that need client signatures
- Firms that explain documents to clients in Chinese
How it earns
- Monthly subscriptions in three lines: e-signature, invoices & payment, and all-in-one
- Tiers by users and monthly documents, with an annual discount
- Identity verification (KBA) charged per use once live; white label and API by agreement
- YCL sends its own 8879s and engagement letters through SignLucid — its first real user
04SaaS · being productizedIn daily use at YCL · preparing seed firms
Tax Portal SaaS for small accounting firms
The client portal and back office YCL uses every day, turned into a multi-tenant system for small accounting firms — an alternative to TaxDome.
- Today
- Runs YCL end to end: quotes, document collection, signatures, payment and tax-return progress
- Target customers
- Small firms in China handling U.S. tax work; small U.S. accounting firms
- Languages
- Client side in Chinese and English
- Pricing (planned)
- Subscription per firm, plus onboarding and data migration
Already in use
- Client portal: online quotes and payment, uploads, prior-year document lists, questionnaires, messages, e-signature
- Tax-return tracker and stage board that moves forward on its own signals
- Work orders for non-tax services: formation, registered agent, annual reports, ITIN, foreign reporting
- Company secretarial tools: online formation requests, registered-agent and annual-report boards, compliance calendar
- Tax notice library (60+ notice codes), paid consultations, SOP knowledge base, marketing follow-up
How it differs from TaxDome
- Built for U.S.–China cross-border work: FBAR, 5472, 3520 and ITIN lists and workflows out of the box
- Bilingual client side that opens well inside WeChat (mainstream products have no Chinese interface)
- Company secretarial and tax-notice modules built in, which similar products rarely include
- Priced for small firms, with a lower cost to start
Next steps
- Turn the single-firm system into a multi-tenant version and invite seed firms
- More automation: stage-based requests, reminders, returns released after payment
- Software copyright registration and outreach to small U.S. firms
Tax Portal SaaS compared with TaxDome
| TaxDome | Tax Portal SaaS | |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | General all-in-one platform used by over ten thousand firms (vendor figure) | Focused on small firms and U.S.–China cross-border tax work |
| Client languages | About 15 languages, no Chinese | Chinese · English |
| Price | About $800–1,200 per user per year | An entry price for small firms (set during the seed phase) |
| Cross-border templates | Generic templates that firms build themselves | FBAR, 8938, 5472, 3520 and ITIN lists and workflows built in |
| Company secretarial | Not a focus | Online formation requests, registered-agent and annual-report boards, compliance calendar |
| Tax notices | — | Library of 60+ notice codes with deadline reminders |
| Maturity | Mature white-label app, community, training and onboarding | In daily use at YCL; seed-firm stage |
Sources: vendor websites and help centers, compiled October 2026. Features and prices change; check the vendor’s site.
Financing records
Financing records are open only to approved investors
Rounds, amounts, valuations, investors and use of funds for each project are not published online. After you submit an investor application we contact you within five business days; once approved, a private link goes to your e-mail, and you enter that e-mail to view the records.
Apply to view the records- Rounds and dates
- Amounts and valuations
- Investors
- Use of funds and the current round
Investor application
A way in for investors who want to grow with us
We welcome investors who understand professional services and finance software — especially strategic partners who can bring accounting-firm customers, cross-border networks or product experience.
Strategic investorsAccounting firms, tax and office software companies, cross-border service providers
Angels and individualsWho believe in the services-plus-software model and want to stay for the long run
InstitutionsFocused on vertical SaaS, applied AI and cross-border services
What the application asks
- Your background: industry, past investments, resources you can bring
- The amount you are considering and the form you prefer
- Projects you are interested in
- Contact details: e-mail, phone or WeChat / WhatsApp
What happens next
- 1Submit and receive a confirmation e-mail
- 2We reply within five business days and arrange a call
- 3Once approved, you receive a link to the financing records
- 4Further diligence; only documents signed by both sides are binding
Fill in the investor application
This page describes our projects and collects expressions of interest only. It is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or equity, and it is not investment advice. Any investment is made only under documents signed by both sides and must comply with the securities laws of the United States and of the investor’s jurisdiction.