A strong brand is a great foundation for growth. We can help you structure that growth and then prepare, negotiate and enforce the commercial agreements that underpin your chosen structure. So whether you are interested in franchising or other agency, distribution and multi-channel strategies, our dedicated team can help.

And in addition to growing your new business, your brand can open the door for extension into other complementary product and service groups. As well as strengthening a brand through well-chosen affiliations, brand extension arrangements can provide an additional source of revenue. By partnering with third-party manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, you can open your brand to new avenues of opportunity, exposure and income.

Our lawyers cover the full range of commercial legal services, and are well equipped to handle all aspects that become relevant during the life cycle of a start-up. We offer sophisticated legal advice and counsel clients in every stage of forming, growing and divesting their innovative companies. Additionally, we assist our start-up and emerging growth clients by leveraging our network to connect them with the people and resources they need.

Our services for founders and start-ups include:

• foundation of companies, including pre-foundation matters
• start-up financing
• initial coin offerings and crowd funding
• shareholder advice
• commercial documentation
• know-how and data protection
• IP (trademark, patent, design, copyright) advice, brand development
• specialty laws (food and drug law, biotechnology law)
• regulatory affairs (FinTech, HealthTech, InsuranceTech, etc)
• software licensing, R&D agreements
• employment matters, including employee incentive programmes
• exits
• IPO and capital market transactions

Our services for investors include:

• legal due diligence
• investment and exit structuring
• transaction documents, including investment agreements and shareholders agreements
• minority protection, joint ventures
• IP assignment agreements
• structured sales processes (exits)
• dispute resolution, arbitration, litigation
• restructuring and refinancing
• corporate ventures