Startup Desks

Advisory and support on wide range of challenges that young companies face in their different stages of development. Among others in the following matters:

• Establishment of the company (e.g., legal documents, governance)
• Drafting and review of contracts (e.g., employment contracts, employee participation plans, partnerships, external equity and debt financing, mergers & acquisition)
• Management and protection of intellectual property, including drafting/negotiating license agreements
• Review and sharpening of business case, business plan, and equity story
• Access to network (e.g., business partners, investors, key role recruitment, mentorships, corporate venture fund)
• Assessment and mitigation of legal, regulatory, data protection, cybersecurity risks
• Preparation for IPO, succession, and/or exit
• Personal finance planning for entrepreneurs in Swiss tax-related matters

Kellerhals Carrard additionally assist in

• Financing rounds, including venture debt
• Technology transfer-related topics, i.e. regarding spin-offs from universities
• Commercial agreements such as collaboration agreement, manufacturing agreement etc.
• Notarial services
• Employment matters (including work permits)
• Swiss tax advice 

Entrepreneurs, startups, scale-ups

All; strong rooting in university spin-offs and various “deep tech” startups, incl. ICT, robotics, drones. Security, fintech, cleantech / solar, life sciences (biotech/medtech), foodtech, proptech, engineering

With more than 220 legal professionals (consisting of partners, of counsels, associates, tax advisors and notaries) and more than 400 employees, Kellerhals Carrard, which has its origins in 1885, is one of the largest and most traditional law firms in Switzerland, with offices in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano and Zurich, and representative offices in Binningen, Sion, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Kellerhals Carrard advises and represents companies and entrepreneurs from all industries and economic sectors, public authorities, national and international organisations and private individuals before all judicial and administrative bodies nationally and abroad in practically all areas of the law.

Deeply rooted in the startup ecosystem, among first large corporate law firms with a dedicated startup desk (“boutique” with access to full range of services and manpower thanks to size), entrepreneurial and pragmatic in spirit.

• Advisory on more than 100 financing rounds in 2020
• Client portfolio includes 31 of the Top 100 startup 2021
• About 10 years of dedicated startup experience, among first movers in field with wealth of experience of dedicated startup lawyers
• Active political engagements for startups (topics: work permits, tax, etc.)

Lead legal advisor to the following companies, incl. re. financing rounds:

• Medtech/Biotech: hemotune, NaturalCycles, Ava, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics
• Engineering/Robotics: 9T Labs, Wingtra, Auterion, Verity, Voliro
• Security: Decentriq, Exeon Analytics
• Fintech: AlgoTrader
• ICT: Alaya, Smallpdf, Miraex
• Others: Haelixa, VIU

Lead legal advisor to the following CVCs/VCs investors: Credit Suisse Entrepreneur Capital, Apollo Health Ventures, Swiss Health Ventures AG (venture arm of CSS Krankenversicherung), AtlanticLabs, Digital+, Eight Roads Ventures, Indaco Ventures, OpenOcean, Fyrfly Ventures, Expa Ventures, Valar Ventures, True Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Future Energy Ventures

Examples of recent exit transactions: Chronext (planned IPO), GotCourts (advisor to sellers), SAM Versicherungen (sale to wefox, advisor to seller), Vifor (advisor to buyer in purchase of Inositec), Propolsion (advisor to seller), Procivis (advisor to OrellFüssli), Magnolia International, CYCL (today Livetiles), MoonLake Immnotherapeutics (De-SPAC), Alaya (advisor to sellers)

• Dr. Karim Maizar, Partner, Head Startup Desk, Kellerhals Carrard,
  karim.maizar@kellerhals-carrard.ch, +41 58 200 3900
  
• Dr. Nicolas Mosimann, Partner, Co-Head Startup Desk, Kellerhals Carrard,
  Nicolas.mosimann@kellerhals-carrard.ch, +41 58 200 30 00
  
• Nicolai Nuber, LL.M., Partner,
  nicolai.nuber@kellerhals-carrard.ch, +41 58 200 3937
  
• Alexandre Gachet, LL.M., Partner,
  alexandre.gachet@kellerhals-carrard.ch, +41 58 200 33 00

Advisory and support on wide range of challenges that young companies face in their different stages of development. Among others in the following matters:

• Establishment of the company (e.g., legal documents, governance) including notarial services
• Drafting pre-incorporation Founders' (vesting) agreements, leaver agreements and shareholders' agreements
• Spin-off transactions from universities
• Drafting and review of contracts (e.g., shareholders' agreements, employment contracts, employee participation plans, partnerships, external equity and debt financing, mergers & acquisition)
• Management and protection of intellectual property
• Comprehensive legal and tax advice as well as negotiations of financing rounds with investors
• Access to network (e.g., business partners, investors, key role recruitment, mentorships, corporate venture fund)
• Assessment and mitigation of legal, regulatory, data protection, cybersecurity risks
• Preparation for IPO, succession, and/or exit
• Personal finance and tax planning for entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs, startups, scale-ups

All

Wenger Vieli advises companies and individuals on all matters of domestic and international business law and taxation. Its teams consist of specialized lawyers with profound know-how in their respective fields, all working together seamlessly for our clients' goals. Wenger Vieli is particularly proud of its strong entrepreneurial spirit which allows to provide quick and pragmatic legal and tax advice to complex situations.

Wenger Vieli is passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs and innovative companies in all legal and tax matters, thereby leveraging its long-standing involvement in the Swiss venture capital ecosystem.

• What Wenger Vieli brings to the table in addition to state of the art legal and tax advice:
• Over 25 years providing distinguished services for entrepreneurs, startups and scale-ups
• More than 50 financing rounds each year
• More than 5 exit transactions per year (to strategic and/or financial buyers)
• A combined experience of venture capital deal-making of more than 60 years
• Access to its extensive network of successful entrepreneurs, investors, academia and accelerator / incubator platforms

• Frontify AG (legal and tax advisors for recent USD 50M financing round)
• Scandit AG (legal advisor)
• Archlet AG (legal advisor for recent USD 10M financing round)
• Bring Labs AG (legal and tax advisor in exit transaction)
• Swiss Startup Group / Serpentine Ventures (legal advisor in several investment transactions)
• Dart Ventures (legal advisor in several investment transactions)

• Dr. Michael Baier, Partner,
  m.baier@wengervieli.ch, +41 58 958 55 73