Emerging Companies & Venture Capital

Innovative counsel for scaling companies and the investors who back them.

Husch Blackwell's Emerging Companies & Venture Capital team provides strategic and efficient counsel to growth-stage companies and the investors who back them. Our multidisciplinary team consists of experienced transactional attorneys and dedicated advisors who have led complex financings, structured venture and private equity funds, and managed multimillion-dollar acquisitions for companies navigating rapid growth. We work on both sides of the venture ecosystem, representing high-growth companies alongside the venture funds, family offices, and institutional and angel investors that support them.

Since many of our clients operate with lean leadership teams, we often step into the role of primary outside counsel, participating in board-level discussions, anticipating governance challenges before they arise, and providing the full range of legal support a scaling company requires. We serve entrepreneurial companies at every stage of their growth, from business formation and seed funding through complex transactions and strategic exits, providing strategic guidance and practical support to help clients toward their strategic goals.

Husch Blackwell’s industry-focused structure allows our team to bring sector-specific experience to every engagement. We support clients across technology and SaaS, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, energy, power, aerospace and UAV, healthcare and medical devices, financial services and fintech, consumer products, and food and beverage industries. That cross-sector depth informs our practical advice grounded in the realities of each industry. We have been primary legal counsel to multiple growth companies from formation through exit.

Our guidance includes:

For Growth-Stage Companies

We advise growth-stage companies that are ready to scale. Our counsel spans the full range of issues companies face as they expand:

• Venture financings, including SAFEs, convertible notes, seed rounds, and Series A through later-stage preferred equity
• Primary outside counsel and corporate governance
• Mergers and acquisitions, buy-side and sell-side
• Technology transactions, commercial agreements, and SaaS agreements
• Equity incentive plans and executive compensation
• Employment law and structuring key employee compensation plans
• Intellectual property protection and licensing
• Artificial intelligence and privacy counsel
• Regulatory compliance
• Tax planning, including QSBS/Section 1202 planning
• CFIUS and related foreign investor and international business considerations
• Exit readiness and M&A preparation

For Investors

We represent venture funds, fund sponsors, family offices, angel investors, high-net-worth individuals, syndicate groups, and strategic investors across the full deal lifecycle:

• Term sheet negotiation and deal execution
• Venture fund formation, governance, and securities compliance
• Recapitalizations and cap-table restructuring
• Portfolio company oversight and board-level advisory
• Bridge financing structures