Investments. Investment Funds. Startups

Financing a startup, an established business, or even just an idea is now easier than ever. The opportunities are increasingly accessible, the alternatives are preferred, the process is structured, and the results are visible and measurable.

Equity and quasi-equity investments in the form of providing venture capital to startups for the development and expansion of their activities are becoming an alternative to traditional methods of bank lending and business financing. This alternative removes the accompanying burden of a bank loan—suretyship, pledges over company assets, and the psychological element of being bound by such an obligation.

On a global scale, venture investing in startups has established itself not only as a means of financing companies’ operations, but also as a profitable investment strategy aimed at achieving returns and generating profit—both for professional investors (investment funds) and for small businesses, private family funds, or individuals (angel investors).

The innovative business idea, the successful business model, and a well-structured business plan are only the beginning of a successful transaction and the post-investment stage that the company enters thereafter.

Investing in a startup is a dynamic process that goes through several phases, the proper management of which is crucial both for the investment fund or private investor and for the company seeking financing.

Identifying, at the initial stage, the strengths and weaknesses of the existing company, restructuring its corporate governance, and settling existing relationships between the partners or shareholders and the company before investors enter—these are only some of the important topics that precede the investment and that largely determine both the structuring of the transaction and the parameters of the investment itself.

Our team provides comprehensive legal services and support for transactions involving the provision or receipt of investments—both on the side of investors and on the side of startups and their founders—in all aspects and at every stage of the investment process:

Analysis of the company’s existing corporate and capital structure, management model, and relationships among its partners or shareholders and between them and the company.
Consultation on choosing the most appropriate legal and organizational form in view of the planned or upcoming investment. Company restructuring.
Comprehensive legal analysis (due diligence) of the corporate history, current status, changes in the company’s structure and management, and the contracts and relationships to which the company is a party.
Analysis of the company’s compliance with the regulations and applicable legislation governing its area of activity. Bringing the company into compliance.
In-depth review and verification of intellectual property owned by or being developed by the company and its founders and/or employees and counterparties. Settling all relationships and rights related to the company’s intellectual property.
Verification of compliance with eligibility requirements and preparation of application documents for obtaining investments from alternative investment funds that provide financing from the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Drafting and review of investment agreements, consultations, and representation in connection with investments.
Consultations and advice on choosing the conditions and parameters of the investment, the rights and obligations of the parties, investors’ preferences, etc.
Drafting of all corporate documents required and necessary to complete the transaction.
Assistance with the overall preparation of the company and its operations for receiving an investment and admitting investors—both at the stage before signing the investment agreement and after it.
Comprehensive legal servicing of startups and assistance in carrying out their activities after receiving an investment, including preparation for a subsequent investment round.
Managing the entire process of an investor’s (or investors’) exit from a company in which they have invested. Drafting all documents and carrying out all contractual obligations and statutory steps to terminate investors’ participation in the company.