Overview

Corporate venture capital (CVC) has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, with strategic venture investors looking at early-stage companies more than ever before. Harnessing the value of Sidley’s veteran lawyers in Silicon Valley, as well as the firm’s global reach that spans four continents, our CVC group assists corporate investors in developing and executing venture investment strategies. We advise clients in both domestic and international financing transactions, from small seed-rounds to much larger later-stage investments. Our lawyers have handled hundreds of portfolio investments and have long-standing relationships with a wide range of corporate investors, including many Fortune 100 companies.

Our team achieves value for our corporate venture clients in many ways, including the following:

Corporate venture leader. Sidley recognizes that the corporate venture space is underserved by most law firms. Our lawyers are recognized leaders in providing real-time advice on transactions and issues arising out of the CVC market. We offer suggestions on best approaches to address legal and business concerns and optimize the working relationship after a deal is signed. This experience and background, combined with our network of relationships and industry knowledge, enable us to efficiently identify issues and craft solutions that meet our clients’ long-term business objectives.
A comprehensive approach. Our team offers a training curriculum to assist in-house legal and business team members in assessing, structuring and closing investments in innovative startups in many forms, including debt equity, commercial agreements and strategic partnerships. We also help navigate the additional regulatory approvals associated with these investments, which may affect the timing and structure of the transaction. Our lawyers constantly search for ways to deepen our clients’ understanding of the investment landscape, as well as opportunities for them to make meaningful connections with their peers and source innovative investments.
Deep sector experience. Our lawyers possess decades of experience representing strategic venture investors in a variety of industry sectors. Such areas include: agribusiness, biotechnology, cleantech, energy, environmental, consumer products and services, digital media and entertainment, e-commerce, financial services, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics, semiconductor and electronic design automation, social media, software and telecommunications.

Recognition for the practice

A key component of Sidley’s ECVC practice is our corporate venture lawyers, who have been acknowledged for their work in numerous industry publications, including The Legal 500, Chambers USA, LMG Life Sciences, Best Lawyers in America and PitchBook. In the 2016 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Survey, the firm was ranked among the best nationwide in Venture Capital Law. We were also highly ranked for our venture capital and emerging companies work in the 2015 edition of The Legal 500, which recognized Sidley for having “broadened its client base with a number of corporate venture funds.” According to the publication, clients commented that our team has “excellent business knowledge” and “excellent resources.”

“Sidley Austin's team provides tailored and commercially sound solutions. We appreciate the attention the team devotes to our business and their ability to provide high quality advice.”
Start-up and Venture Capital - Singapore