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.
"Outstanding! Very responsive, they provide advice that is easy to understand and, where others come up with reasons why we can't do stuff, they give us a list of what we can do."
Chambers and Partners
"They definitely know their stuff. They're very good at getting into the detail and explaining it in a very clear way, taking complicated legal concepts and translating them into business language."
Chambers and Partners
"They are superb, extremely responsive and commercial."
Chambers and Partners
- 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
Experience
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 specialises in providing transactional and contracting advice in the technology and media sectors. He works with a range of IT…
- DDI +64 9 363 1029
- M +64 21 766 312
Amy Ryburn
Partner, Wellington
Amy specialises in commercial contracting and procurement, with a particular focus on technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), i…
- DDI +64 4 462 0904
- M +64 21 242 5889
David Thomson
Partner, Auckland
David specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, governance,…
- DDI +64 9 363 0750
- M +64 21 668 593
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…
- DDI +64 9 363 0636
- M +64 21 888 812
John Glengarry
Partner, Auckland
Patent Attorney | Trade Marks Attorney
John specialises in intellectual property law and has extensive experience in New Zealand and overseas. John's practice covers the…
- DDI +64 9 357 9391
- M +64 21 678 198
Mark Odlin
Partner, Christchurch
Board of Management
Mark specialises in corporate and commercial law and advises on a range of financial, commercial and corporate law matters, including…
- DDI +64 3 371 3525
- M +64 21 753 769
Nick Bragg
Partner, Auckland
Nick specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience across a broad range of mergers and acquisitions…
- DDI +64 9 363 0769
- M +64 21 818 142
Philip Wood
Partner, Auckland
Philip specialises in providing commercial, IT, telecommunication, media and television/film sector advice including strategic advice…
- DDI +64 9 357 9385
- M +64 21 624 356
Renee Stiles
Partner, Wellington
Renee is a member of our Wellington corporate and commercial team, specialising in information and communication technology, corporate …
- DDI +64 4 498 7308
- M +64 21 722 990
Sherridan Cook
Partner, Auckland
Board of Management
Sherridan specialises in employment, industrial relations and health and safety as well as litigation and dispute resolution…
- DDI +64 9 357 1858
- M +64 27 545 9768
Steve Nightingale
Partner, Wellington
Steve specialises in corporate law including capital raising, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, limited partnership…
- DDI +64 4 498 7312
- M +64 27 668 2832
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…
- DDI +64 9 358 7066
- M +64 27 476 6587