Emerging Growth Companies and Venture Capital Financing: Principles and Practice

In recent years, start-up companies that are privately financed with funds provided by angel investors and venture capital firms have become a dramatically successful source of jobs and of important new and innovative products, particularly in the areas of Web3, NFTs, crypto currencies, ecommerce, cyber security, software, semiconductors and biotechnology. This course deals with legal and business issues that arise in representing emerging growth technology companies, with a particular emphasis on venture capital transactions, liquidity events, intellectual property, corporate formation and governance. The course will provide an introduction to practice in this area through the eyes of an attorney who lives in the Washington, D.C. area, is active in the global technology market and who practices with a Silicon Valley-based law firm. Guest lecturers play an important role in this class and provide students with a real-world perspective on helping emerging growth companies. During the course of the semester, students will have the opportunity to hear from prominent founders/CEOs, venture capitalists, an investment banker, an angel investor, and several entrepreneurs who have successfully raised capital and built companies.