Startups and New Ventures

The Startups and New Ventures Group advises entrepreneurs, business incubators, and early stage ventures through all phases of development. Whether you are bootstrapping your tech startup through the formation stage, preparing for a round of financing, planning an exit or anywhere in between, its lawyers can help a company just like yours.

The Startups and New Ventures Group helps entrepreneurs and founders to structure startups in the pre-commercial stage so that they can protect their inventions, enable growth and investment, and simultaneously plan for long-term objectives such as exit strategies and public financings. At this stage, its professionals regularly provide advice on:

  • Corporate structure, organization and governance
  • Securing and protecting intellectual property
  • Company, trade and domain names
  • Trademark registration, intellectual property protection and brand development
  • Shareholders’ and founders’ agreements
  • Early stage financing
  • Management incentives and employment/consulting arrangements

The Startups and New Ventures Group assists early stage ventures with financing their growth (including through seed and series A rounds) to balance issues of control with the need to attract investment. Whether you are seeking funding from friends and family, non-dilutive grants, angel investors, venture capital or strategic partners, the firm will help to develop the most suitable financing structures while keeping costs and efficiency in mind.

As your new venture grows, so may your workforce. The Startups and New Ventures Group helps to establish and maintain an employment infrastructure that allows you to attract and retain the individuals you need to grow your business while simultaneously protecting your venture. Its lawyers advise on the following most common areas:

  • Hiring
  • Workplace policy and procedure
  • Retention, compensation and benefit strategies
  • Stock option plans and phantom share plans
  • Severance, layoff and termination
  • Compliance with employment law statutes and regulations
  • Protecting your intellectual property, customer base, name and goodwill

The Startups and New Ventures Group will also help you to manage your corporate filings and other routine matters that may arise from time to time.

With an emphasis on the commercialization of intellectual property, the Startups and New Ventures Group regularly drafts, negotiates and advises on all types of business deals, including:

  • Technology development agreements
  • Licensing, distribution, e-commerce and other technology transfer agreements
  • Patent, trademark, copyright and technology licensing
  • Research collaborations, sponsored research agreements and joint ventures