Course

Foundational Legal Issues of Emerging Growth Companies

This course, for entrepreneurs who intend to form, grow, and scale a startup, provides an introduction to the core legal issues that VC-funded emerging growth companies encounter.

Each week we will tackle a key legal area in business development, moving from entity selection and initial capitalization, intellectual property, and common tax and employment issues, to seed financings, venture capital financings, and exits.

You will develop a practical legal knowledge to grow your company in seven weeks. By the end of this course, you will understand foundational principles of corporate, employment, securities, tax, and intellectual property law. You will also see how a cap table works and why it is mission critical to model cap tables before any round.

Topics

• Business entities and the common corporate structure for venture-backed companies
• How to secure intellectual property
• Wage, hour, equity compensation, and tax issues
• Seed financing
• Venture capital financing
• Mergers, acquisitions, and other exits