Early stage and high growth companies

Buddle Findlay understands the challenges faced by companies operating in a startup or growth phase.  Our team works closely with businesses to create effective development paths and achieve goals.

Overview

We have a specialist team dedicated to helping startup companies, particularly in the technology sector.

Our specialist startup team works alongside early stage and high growth companies throughout New Zealand to assist with establishment, shareholder arrangements, capital raising and exits.  Our startup team provides regular advice on taxation and employment.  We understand the constraints facing high-growth companies and we've invested time in developing flexible, robust and cost-effective solutions. 

We are committed to supporting New Zealand innovation in a range of practical ways.  We regularly run events to benefit the startup community, including events highlighting success stories, and seminars and discussion evenings on topics such as capital raising, employee equity and term sheets.  A useful resource is the article Call me maybe which discusses the types of legal advice early stage companies might require, and when.

We have also developed Back of a Napkin, an online tool that addresses the essential questions that should be resolved at the beginning of a project (revenue sharing, decision making and intellectual property ownership).  This free tool generates a basic agreement that is both easy to understand and works from a legal perspective, and provides a great foundation for those who are just starting out but are conscious of getting key business and legal issues right.

Our clients include Vend, Letterboxd, 9Spokes, My Tours, Koordinates, Pocketsmith, Timely, WIP, Lil Regie, Sense Medical, Glassjar, Coachseek, Minutedock, Trineo and Twingl.

  • Finalist New Zealand Innovators Awards, Innovation in Financial and Professional Services
  • Gold Award, NZ Design Institute's Best Awards for startup tool backofanapkin.co.nz


Work highlights

Advising Vend

on its NZ$25m capital raise, from existing investors and new investor Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures

Acting for Pushpay

on its NZAX compliance listing

Acting on the regular capital raises

by Spotlight Reporting, Timely, Atomic Software, Goodnest, Wipster and Revert.io

Advising on Intel Capital’s investment

into Performance Lab Technologies

Advising on 9Spokes'

establishment and capital raising

Providing Gelat.io, Cucumber, Movitae, Twingl, and Trineo

with shareholder advice


Our team

Allan Yeoman

Partner, Auckland

Allan is a partner in Buddle Findlay's Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) team. He specialises in providing…

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David Thomson

Partner, Auckland

David specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures…

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Grant Dunn

Partner, Auckland

Grant specialises in corporate and commercial law and has over 20 years experience. He previously spent six years with the London…

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Hamish Selby

Partner, Auckland

Hamish specialises in intellectual property and leads the Buddle Findlay intellectual property team…

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Mark Odlin

Partner, Christchurch

Mark specialises in corporate and commercial law and advises on a range of financial, commercial and corporate law matters, including…

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Nick Bragg

Partner, Auckland

Nick specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience across a broad range of mergers and acquisitions (includi…

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Philip Wood

Partner, Auckland

Philip specialises in providing commercial, IT, telecommunication, media and television/film sector advice including strategic advice…

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Renee Stiles

Partner, Wellington

Renee is a member of our Wellington corporate and commercial team, specialising in commercial contracting, information and…

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Rupert Rouch

Partner, Wellington

Rupert is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who advises on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and general corporate …

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Tony Wilkinson

Partner, Auckland

Tony has a highly regarded practice acting for public and private sector clients. He is the lead tax advisor for Buddle Findlay’s most…

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