SaaS Team Built to Scale
Case Study: Chromatic & TaxStudio
Where Chromatic Started
Chromatic wasn’t your standard U.S. expansion. The company’s roots were international from day one—but founded in the U.S. by a globally distributed team and shaped by contributions across time zones. There wasn’t a single “entry” into the U.S. market so much as a steady scaling of activity that triggered questions around compliance, cash flow, and operational clarity.
Like many early-stage companies, Chromatic was focused on:
Managing burn and fundraising
Understanding accounting in real-time
Staying compliant as the business grew across states
Making space to build the product
“TaxStudio has taken accounting completely off our hands—giving us the focus to build our business instead.”
— Zol Olah, Founder of Chromatic
Zol Olah, Founder of Chromatic, came to TaxStudio through a close network connection, and we started supporting the company from the beginning—handling accounting, tax compliance, and advisory needs. They managed payroll themselves and tapped us when questions or decisions came up.
The Challenge:
One of the biggest pain points was the shift in research and development tax law—specifically Section 174, which started requiring startups to amortize R&D expenses instead of deducting them fully upfront. That change hurt.
For a product-led startup investing deeply in engineering, this created unexpected cash flow strain. There wasn’t a fix. But there was guidance, planning, and clear communication to help the team adjust.
We also handled the kinds of things that don’t show up in pitch decks:
Solving for state-specific requirements and check payments
Meeting R&D filing deadlines
Navigating taxes across multiple states and team members
Our role wasn’t just about compliance. It was about creating the space for Chromatic’s team to stay focused on what they do best.
The Solution
We didn’t reinvent the wheel.*
We provided steady, behind-the-scenes support in a few key areas:
Monthly accounting and reporting
Tax compliance and filings
R&D credit planning and execution
Advisory around cross-border issues as they came up
The collaboration worked well because both teams showed up and engaged in a meaningful and deep partnership. The Chromatic team is organized, responsive, and technically strong. So is ours. Zol said it best: “I’ve love having TaxStudio as a strategic partner and sounding board when considering complicated tax matters such as the R&D tax credits, interstate employees, and cross-border taxation.” That mutual effort made space for better decisions, faster pivots, and fewer surprises.
*The challenge, solution, and formula for expanding to the U.S. are never the same for every business—that’s why adaptable tax advisors are critical to profiting in the United States.
Growth with Support
Chromatic has grown from an idea to a company with $15M+ in annual recurring revenue. We don’t take credit for that—but we’ve been there throughout, supporting the infrastructure around that growth. As Zol puts it, “We’ve grown from idea to $15M+ ARR. TaxStudio has seamlessly supported our accounting needs at every scale so far.”
It hasn’t been about flashy wins or dramatic saves. It’s been about consistency: month after month, call after call, just keeping the backend of the business clean and clear.
Where They Are Now
Zol now lives in Australia with his family. That means new questions—cross-border ownership, local tax implications—but the core remains the same: Chromatic keeps building, and we keep supporting.
It’s a slightly unusual founder path. Zol is Australian, but we met while he was in the U.S. He’s built a U.S.-based company with global DNA. The story doesn’t follow a textbook pattern—and that’s part of what makes TaxStudio an ideal partner for the growing company and its founder. We love supporting businesses that don’t fall into a pattern, because we know how to combat the unknown and unexpected.
Deep Partnership, Big Impacts
We’ll leave you with some final thoughts from our CEO, Jason Booth. “One of the best parts about Chromatic is our team is bought in,” Jason says. “Of the 30+ people on the TaxStudio team, if I asked any of them to do something for Chromatic that was outside of their day-to-day, they wouldn’t hesitate. The positive vibes from this relationship is very real.”
This is the type of partnership TaxStudio excels at building with founders and companies in growth-mode as they navigate complex waters.
Jason continues, “I’d say our connection with Chromatic is the essence of emotional relationship in a professional setting. Chromatic’s team is at ease because TaxStudio has their back. They’ve seen it happen time and time again. Nothing catastrophic, just small wins over and over and over again.”
For Other Businesses
There’s no silver bullet, but a few things made this relationship work:
A business owner who listens, asks questions, and cares about getting it right
A team with strong internal processes, clear communication, and mutual respect
A willingness to build the financial infrastructure early, not just when problems arise
"The best thing about working with Chromatic is they have hired amazing people and we have amazing people on our team. Two amazing teams collide and the results are great communication, great collaboration and frankly the ability to learn from each other and be better tomorrow than we are today. TaxStudio has always used Chromatic as the ideal client from a communication and quality of personnel standpoint. Our ability to have empathy to each other, know what we are doing for each other has made it of value. They have really grown and we have supported them along the way." - Jason Booth