Advisers, accountants and solicitors for startups, finally in one room.
Dragon Argent is one London team for founder-led startups and SMEs: strategic advice, accountancy, tax and SRA-regulated legal work, from formation to exit. You stop briefing separate firms and carrying messages between them.
30 minutes with our experts. No obligation, and everything you tell us is treated in confidence.
- Authorised and regulated by the SRA, no. 654201
- 400+ tech-enabled clients
- Advising founders since 2004
- Xero Certified Advisor
The decisions that shape a company cross three disciplines. So does our team.
A funding round is a financial model, a tax relief application and a stack of legal documents, often due in the same week. Most founders end up managing three sets of advisers and relaying messages between them. At Dragon Argent, one team works from one plan, so the numbers, the tax position and the paperwork agree.
| The job | Advisory | Accountancy and tax | Legal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setting up the company | Tax-efficient formation and corporate structure | HMRC registrations, payroll, bookkeeping and your finance tech stack | Incorporation, articles, shareholders’ agreement and IP protection |
| Raising a seed round | Business plan, financial model and pitch deck | SEIS and EIS applications | Investment round execution and share allotments |
| Opening in the UK from overseas | UK subsidiary set-up and corporate structure | Corporation tax, VAT and statutory accounts | Business immigration and employment contracts |
| Selling the company | Exit planning, commercial strategy and M&A advisory | Accounting due diligence and tax advice on the sale | Legal due diligence, deal completion and TUPE advice |
Three rings, one route from formation to exit
Our mark is three rings, each with an opening. Read it as the three stages of a founder-led company, with a way through each one. Choose your stage to see what one team handles.
Start: set up for success
Get the structure, the paperwork and the numbers right from day one, while they are still simple to change.
“Brilliantly executed all the legal stuff when I raised £150k SEIS/EIS round. The investors were super pleased as was I!”
Advisory
- Tax-efficient company formation
- Corporate structuring
- Fundraising strategy
- Corporate governance
Accountancy and tax
- Finance tech stack set-up
- Tax treatment advice
- HMRC registrations
- Payroll and bookkeeping
- Budgets and forecasts
Legal
- Incorporation and articles of association
- Shareholders’ agreements
- Directors’ service agreements and employment contracts
- SEIS and EIS advance assurance
- Registering and protecting intellectual property
Scale: protect and grow
We look at the business the way an investor, lender or buyer will, then help you build its value and take out the risks.
“The quality of corporate advice provided as we went through investment rounds was outstanding.”
Advisory
- Business planning and growth strategy
- Equity fundraising
- Non-executive directors
- Corporate finance
- Shareholder communication
Accountancy and tax
- R&D tax relief claims
- Management accounts
- Outsourced finance director
- Payroll, bookkeeping and VAT returns
- Corporation tax
- EMI valuation reports
Legal
- Investment round execution
- Commercial agreements
- Employment contracts, staff handbooks and disputes
- EMI share schemes
- Shareholder, partner and director disputes
- Legal due diligence and data audits
Exit: plan and realise value
Build value well before a sale, then run the deal, buying or selling, with people who already know your business inside out.
“Acquiring a new company in another country comes with its challenges but the help provided by Dragon Argent during our legal and financial due diligence was exactly what we needed.”
Advisory
- Exit planning
- Commercial strategy
- Corporate restructuring
- M&A advisory
Accountancy and tax
- Corporate finance advisory
- Accounting due diligence
- Tax advice on the sale
Legal
- Legal due diligence
- Deal completion
- Commercial litigation advice
- Settlement agreements
- TUPE advice
- Redundancy and dissolution advice
Every service, by discipline
Advisory
Accountancy and tax
Founders come for one job and stay for the rest
“We first worked with Dragon Argent on our R&D tax claim & they were highly professional, friendly & affordable, better than the specialist advisors we considered. We’ve since migrated all of our accounting to them.”
Eli Rezinsky Founder and COO, Unlock- Came to us for
- An R&D tax claim
- Now with us for
- Bookkeeping, payroll, annual accounts, R&D claims and EMI valuations
Over £450k in R&D cash rebates across two accounting periods
“They run the whole project from start to finish, carrying out the detailed calculation as well as the supporting technical narrative, and all related documentation and filings.”
“The most helpful founders’ law firm I have ever worked with”
“As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve seen many. With their transparency in terms of planning, deliverables, and pricing, I would highly recommend.”
Trusted by founders at
Risk aware,
not risk averse.
Good advice should help you act. We name the risk, size it and show you how to manage it, then help you get on with the deal.
- Driven by your success
- Our fees and services are built around a long-term partnership that grows alongside your business.
- One team, multiple services
- Advisers, accountants and solicitors work on your business together, so advice in one area takes account of the other two.
- Never off the shelf
- Every piece of advice is shaped around your company, your investors and your plans by people who understand how businesses are built.
- Growing with you
- We build long-term relationships, taking clients from inception to exit.
Founded by a founder, staffed by specialists
James Phipson Founder, Chairman and Head of Advisory
James started buying and selling old red telephone kiosks at fourteen. The business grew into double-decker buses, letter boxes and road signs, and after he sold it he began helping other founders through due diligence, funding and exit.
Tired of advisers who would not work together, he started hiring the ones who would. Clink opened in 2004, next to the old prison of the same name. It became Dragon Argent in 2018, named after the silver dragon of the City of London, and was regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority from 2019.
The people you will work with
Harry Hasler Finance Director, Head of Accountancy and Tax
Yao Trinh Head of Corporate and Commercial
Cacy Symonds Head of Employment and Immigration
Margherita Barbagallo General Counsel
Mark Bezerra Speeks Corporate Finance Advisor and Non-Executive Director
Sanjay Kukar Strategic Tax Advisor
Ask Dragon Argent
Free guides, recorded webinars and plain answers from our advisers, accountants and solicitors. The short versions are on TikTok and Instagram at @askdragonargent.
-
The Startup Handbook
Practical help with the operational challenges every new company meets first.
Download the Startup Handbook -
Demystifying Venture Capital
How the venture capital model works, and the eight steps of raising investment.
Download Demystifying Venture Capital -
Investor Pitch Deck Template
A ready-made structure for your plan, products, financial projections and funding needs.
Download the pitch deck template
Founders Connect, workshops and webinars
Our events are designed by our own advisers, accountants and solicitors for growth-focused founders, on the challenges that come with scaling a business.
Questions founders ask us
Do I need separate accountants and solicitors for my startup?
No. Dragon Argent is an accountancy practice, an advisory team and a law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (number 654201), working as one team. Your accounts and tax, your legal documents and your strategic decisions sit with one team that shares one view of your business. That matters most when a job crosses all three, such as a funding round, an EMI share option scheme or the sale of the company, where the numbers, the tax treatment and the contracts have to agree.
What happens on a discovery call?
It is a 30-minute, no-obligation call with our experts. Tell us where the business is, what is coming up and anything that is worrying you, whether that is a funding round, a dispute or an exit, and we will explain how we would approach it and how we can help. Everything you share is treated in confidence. Book through the form on this page or call 020 7686 0000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Can you help us raise investment?
Yes. Our advisory team helps you build the business plan, financial model and pitch deck, works with you on the go-to-market strategy, stress-tests your presentation and supports the campaign through to closing. Our tax specialists handle SEIS and EIS applications, and our solicitors run the round itself, from shareholders’ agreements and articles to share allotments. We are advisers, not brokers, so we act in your interests throughout. Our free white paper, Demystifying Venture Capital, sets out the eight-step process of raising investment.
Do you work with companies outside London?
Yes. Our office is at 3 More London Riverside, beside Tower Bridge, but we work with founders across the UK and internationally, and we help overseas companies set up UK subsidiaries. Our business immigration solicitors also advise on bringing people to the UK. Most of our 400+ clients are tech-enabled businesses, in sectors including design, engineering, fintech, healthcare, life sciences, media, property, retail and SaaS.
How much do your services cost?
It depends on the work and the stage your business is at. Our fees and services are built around a long-term partnership that grows alongside you, and clients such as the CEO of Cypher Coding single out our transparency on planning, deliverables and pricing. On your discovery call we will explain how your work would be priced, before anything starts.
Can you act as our finance director?
Yes. Our outsourced finance director service includes quarterly meetings on your financial position, forecasts built on different scenarios, full quarterly management accounts with commentary and a board call, statutory accounts and corporation tax returns, VAT, bookkeeping and payroll, and the information you need to raise debt or equity finance. It suits growing companies that need senior financial insight before they are ready for a full-time CFO.
Book a 30-minute discovery call
Tell us where the business is and what is coming next, and we will arrange a no-obligation call with our experts. Everything you share is treated in confidence.
- 020 7686 0000
- ask@dragonargent.com
- 3 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RE
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm