Venture Capital
Given the disruptive dynamics across various industries, companies of all sizes are seeking access to new technologies, ideas, and innovations, increasingly relying on investments in start-ups. This financial commitment is set to expand further, becoming a crucial factor in strengthening Germany as a business hub. The goal is to facilitate easier access to venture capital and create improved financing conditions for both start-ups and venture capital providers.
To help you leverage this opportunity, we design tailored investment models that are beneficial for both parties while avoiding practical pitfalls. We have extensive experience working with venture capital (VC) firms, corporate investors, and business angels, as well as collaborating with start-up founders.
Whether you are a family business investing in start-ups through your own corporate venture unit to gain a competitive edge through innovative technology, or a venture capital firm or family office seeking to secure your investment legally, we offer support at every financing stage with our multidisciplinary expertise. We focus on finding not only the best legal and tax solutions but also the most effective business strategies. This approach applies equally to the valuation of targets and the creation of customized models for value enhancement or exit strategies, such as IPOs or share sales.
We ensure transparency for start-ups , enabling founders to engage with investors on equal footing: Up to what limit is the investor's involvement effective? What is the market standard for intellectual property rights or liability for guarantees? Which investor fits which goals? We see ourselves as a sparring partner to develop your business model and bring it to market maturity.
Our services at a glance
- Strategic advice on setting up your own corporate venture capital (CVC) divisions, e.g. as an independent CVC company
- Development of a holistic strategy from selecting and approaching the target to the exit
- Support in planning individual standards for the investment
- Development of customised, legally and fiscally optimised models for the various financing phases of the start-up from pre-seed to later stage
- Due diligence
- Drafting contracts: term sheets/letters of intent, participation agreements, shareholder agreements, consortium and financing agreements, and convertible loans
- Safeguarding interests concerning value increases and exit scenarios, in particular through information and structuring rights
- Securing know-how with the help of (industrial and other) property rights and the long-term integration of know-how carriers
- Implementation of management and employee participation programmes and silent partnerships
- Advice on exits