Emerging Business and Venture Capital

Pullman & Comley’s Emerging Business and Venture Capital practice assists fast growth start-up, early stage and emerging companies to build a better future by assisting in their funding and development.  We also represent venture capitalists and private equity funds in making equity investments in nascent and developing enterprises. This group’s seasoned team of attorneys combines legal skills developed in traditional business enterprises and honed in specific industries (such as software development, application services, biotech, telecom, branding and marketing, digital media, e-commerce and other businesses that lead the world’s fastest changing markets) with experience in the venture capital process and funding corporate growth. 

Each lawyer in the team’s core group has a minimum of 15 years of experience representing and financing businesses. Each has extensive experience in managing the business life cycle--capital formation, raising equity in bridge financing, seed, angel, venture and private equity rounds--and in advising venture financed and startup companies from inception, through early development stages, to their IPOs. We also bring to the table attorneys experienced in equity incentives, executive compensation, intellectual property protection and licensing, tax and securities for efficient management of the complex issues often involved. 

The broad clientele who rely on Pullman & Comley’s Emerging Ventures team include those in the biotech, clean energy, e-commerce, fashion, fitness, food and beverage, health care,  information technology, jewelry, marketing, medical device, pharmaceutical, renewables, software and telecommunications industries. Our Emerging Ventures lawyers bring focus and commitment to understanding the strategic, financial and regulatory needs of each business through its various stages of growth. 

Our lawyers assist business clients with all of the issues and transactions that arise in the life cycle of a business, including: 

• Choice and formation of entity – corporation, partnership, limited liability company
• Organizational documentation
• Bylaws
• Operating agreements
• Shareholder agreements
• Employment contracts
• Credit agreements and other financing documents
• Manufacturing agreements
• Construction agreements
• License agreements
• Distribution agreements
• Stock and asset sales and acquisitions
• Divestitures and dissolutions
• Mergers
• Joint ventures
• Executive compensation arrangements
• Complex service agreements
• Business process outsourcing

Our Experience Includes Representing: 

• An emerging business that manufactures, markets, licenses and sells a microprocessor-based fitness system
• An industry-leading manufacturer of timers, controls and SaaS solutions for the commercial kitchen foodservice industry in the refinance of its commercial lines of credit and loan facilities for both the parent company and several operating subsidiaries
• A local pharmaceutical contract manufacturer in its acquisition by a global generic pharmaceutical concern
• The physician-owners of several ambulatory surgical centers in connection with the sale of equity to new physician and institutional investors groups
• A physician, a serial entrepreneur, in developing his latest patented medical device
• An online customized women’s fashion company in seed round financing

Our Experience Also Includes:

• Serving as counsel to early stage companies involved in developing online financial and investment services, imaging, recording, web entertainment, medical devices, gourmet content and product fulfillment, and succeeding in the e-commerce marketplace
• Acting as counsel to a quasi-governmental agency in making equity investments in Connecticut's technology based businesses
• Operating as general counsel to young companies in negotiations involving financing, product sales warranties, teaming agreements, establishing sales distribution networks and system supports
• Developing web site contracts for business-to-consumer relationships
• Negotiating business-to-business licensing and strategic alliances
• Venture capital strategies, including structuring blind pools, partnership investments and the preparation of offering and blue sky materials for non-public offerings of securities 
• Drafting and negotiating complex service agreements on behalf of a leader in the food service and venue management industry for prominent sports venues and convention centers, including Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium (n/k/a Sports Authority Field at Mile High) and the Jacob Javits Center in New York City
• Helping entrepreneurs in monetizing proprietary clean and green energy strategies through renewable energy developments and smart apps to encourage conservation

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