At Weinberg Gonser our attorneys have extensive knowledge and years of combined experience working with start-ups in various industries ranging from Consumer Packaged Goods to Technology to Hospitality. We have witnessed the various dynamics of the startup world which allows us to provide clear guidance and protection for clients throughout the various stages of their business journey.
In addition to handling financing scenarios and corporate matters, including formation and governance, we also represent clients in the formation, acquisition and protection of trademarks and copyrights in the United States and throughout the world, as well as negotiation, documentation and enforcement of licensing, manufacturing and distribution agreements for local, regional and worldwide markets.
WG becomes an integral part of your team to provide all legal services a start up business requires throughout its life cycle, for example:
Start-up:
- Outside General Counsel
- During growth, we act as your outside general counsel to handle your day-to-day legal needs as an intimate part of your team
- Entity selection, formation and documentation
- Information, options and the WHY behind the type of entity (e.g., C-corp, S-corp, LLC or partnership) and jurisdiction/state of formation
- Equity incentive plans, including stock options, profits interests or alternative mechanisms
- Initial Capital Raise
- We handle all aspects of your initial financing, whether that be a “friends and family” or “seed” round, preferred equity, convertible note offering or SAFE note
- Intellectual Property
- We help you establish and protect your brand, including registration and/or filing all trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and patents.
- Commercial leasing/real estate
- We help negotiate and finalize a lease or purchase of real estate.
Launch:
- Labor
- Employment agreements
- Contractor, consultant and advisor agreements
- Intellectual Property and confidentiality agreements
- Website/Ecommerce
- All guidance and documentation to launch and run your digital presence, including, privacy policies, terms of use, ecommerce and ongoing compliance
- Manufacturing
- Negotiation and documentation of your relationships with your contract manufacturers, domestically and internationally
- Compliance matters for packaging, labeling and marketing
- Fulfillment
- 3PL agreements
- Distribution
- Negotiation and documentation of distribution relationships with distributors, wholesalers and retailers
- Marketing
- Collaboration agreements
- Influencer agreements
- Work-for-hire agreements with all outsourced creatives
Growth:
- Growth Capital
- At this stage, we help you complete your growth capital needs, which may include one or more of the following: priced equity rounds (e.g., Series A, Series B, etc.), convertible note offerings, SAFE notes, purchase order financing, lines of credit, and secured or mezzanine debt
- Advanced Structure
- Evaluate, inform and advise on corporate structure options to reduce/segment risk and provide for flexibility in growth and financing
- Intellectual Property
- Ongoing needs, which may include international trademarks to cover all appropriate territories worldwide
- Licensing agreements
- Litigation
- Pursue or defend legal claims that may arise at this point in a company’s life cycle
Exit:
We assist you in evaluating and executing on your options to sell your business.
- Merger & Acquisitions
- Merging into an existing acquirer or selling the equity of your business to an acquirer
- Asset Sale
- Selling all or substantially all the assets of your business through an asset purchase agreement