Early stage and high growth companies

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, and investors into those companies, assisting with establishment, shareholder arrangements, capital raising and exits.

Navigating investor interactions

We help early stage and high growth companies navigate interactions with investors including different investor groups and classes, and through all capital raising rounds such as seed and venture capital.  We also develop, implement and manage liquidity or exit opportunities (including through sale, merger and public offerings).

Expert advice on IP, tech, and compliance

We also provide comprehensive advice on:

• Development and commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) and technology products and services

• Navigating commercial, privacy and other compliance complexities including – IP ownership and protection, licensing, user terms, distribution and partnership arrangements, and key customer and vendor relationships

We advise regularly on:

• Taxation

• Employment

• ESOP (or other employee equity).

Tools for companies - Back of a Napkin 

We are committed to supporting New Zealand innovation in a range of practical ways.  The article Call me, maybe? which discusses the types of legal advice early stage companies might require and when, and which was originally produced by one of our former partners, remains a useful reference resource.

We 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.