10,000 Startups: Legal Strategies for Startup Success

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Dina Blikshteyn is a partner in the intellectual property practice group in the New York office of Haynes Boone. Dina’s practice focuses on post grant proceedings before the US Patent and Trademark Office, AI counseling, and preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications.

Dina is a co-chair of the artificial intelligence practice at Haynes Boone, and regularly speaks and writes on various AI topics.

Dina's patent practice focuses on technology areas. She regularly counsels clients on artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, web applications, map and navigation applications, point-of-sale systems, computer graphics, data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, client-server applications, CPU/GPU processor design, operating systems, mobile technologies, databases, database optimization, multimedia and video streaming, financial trading products, banking software, computerized auction software, healthcare systems, internet systems, advertising software, wireless communication systems and applications, telecommunications systems, marketing applications, industrial control systems (ICS), cable systems, and smart grid and micro-grid technologies.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Dina developed high-frequency trading systems that traded financial instruments on domestic and international exchanges

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Francie Johnston's practice focuses on technology start-up companies and includes initial company formation, both company and investor-side representation in private equity financings, securities compliance, general corporate governance matters, commercial contracts, technology licensing, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

 Before joining Haynes and Boone, Francie worked as a lawyer with the Royse Law Firm and other law firms. Prior to law school, Francie worked with a number of fine arts organizations (the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Sotheby’s auction house in New York) and entertainment companies (CBS Television and Walt Disney Studios in southern California).

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This week we discuss the legal issues that startups and their founders need to know and the common legal pitfalls that affect startup companies. Unlike more mature companies, startups typically do not have large legal budgets and in house legal counsel focused on legal compliance. Nevertheless, startups must be aware of and comply with law, especially with respect to the issues that are unique to startups.

The presentation will cover those unique issues as well as the sometimes surprising and every evolving California rules. In particular, we summarize:

1. Corporate formation and choice of entity and law;
2. Securities laws;
3. Labor and employment and why virtually evert startup in California is probably out of compliance and what you can do about it;
4. Intellectual property strategies using patent, trademark and trade secret;
5. Protecting your business through agreements;
6. Protecting the founders from personal liability;
7. And more.

The speaker draws on more than 30 years of startup experience in describing how to manage legal risk on a startup budget.

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Gavin George’s practice encompasses privacy, data processing, technology transactions, and intellectual property in the information age. He counsels clients on international, federal, and state-level privacy compliance and transactional issues, including those related to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A designated Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) since 2014, he was recognized as a 2020 “Stand-out Lawyer” by Acritas Stars (Acritas).

Companies rely on Gavin to launch and guide their privacy compliance programs, including drafting privacy policies, creating data processing agreements, implementing personal information processing consents, handling data subject access requests, and consulting on data breach preparedness and response. https://www.haynesboone.com/people/george-gavin

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Olga V. Mack talks about artificial intelligence. Digital Transformation Executive | Above the Law + ACC Docket Legal Tech & Future of Law Columnist | 3x TEDx Speaker | Berkeley Law Lecturer | Notes to My (Legal) Self Podcast Host. https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgamack/

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Ian Peck handles complex Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, out-of-court workouts, and distressed mergers and acquisitions transactions across range of industries. Ian understands that debt restructuring or bankruptcy can often be the most stressful and critical event in a client’s history and he brings a sense of calm determination to each restructuring engagement.

Ian’s experience involves leading roles in numerous high-profile restructurings, including serving as lead counsel for a bankrupt bank holding company facing claims of over $2 billion and representing one of the world’s largest generators and marketers of electricity in its successful Chapter 11 reorganization. Recently, Ian led the successful Chapter 11 reorganization of a nationwide retailer, which resulted in payment of creditors in full and reinstatement of equity, despite the extreme challenges imposed by COVID-19.

Ian has extensive experience in middle-market cases, including representing a manufacturer and operator of helicopters in their successful restructuring as well as guiding the largest retail liquor chain in Texas and a 400-store furniture retailer through the Chapter 11 process. Outside of the courtroom, Ian has helped several companies renegotiate their financial and contractual obligations to avoid contentious litigation or lengthy reorganization proceedings.

One of Ian’s core strengths is his ability to listen to his clients and develop and execute strategies that place them in the best position to accomplish their financial and operational goals. These skills are particularly applicable to representations of private equity firms or their distressed portfolio companies. Many healthy corporations rely on Ian’s business sense and advice on transactions and litigation with financial troubled counterparties.

Ian frequently speaks throughout the country on bankruptcy topics, including various Chapter 11 plan issues and retail bankruptcies. Ian is also a prolific author, having published scholarly articles throughout his career and having served as a contributing author to the Bloomberg Law: Bankruptcy Treatise, the first comprehensive bankruptcy treatise published in the last 40 years.

Ian is an active member of numerous industry associations and serves the community through his pro bono work, including obtaining asylum in the United States for a client who was violently persecuted in her native country.

You can see past episodes at 

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-000-startups/id1705589818
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3sVitQ3S211Xg6BfjyYtvv
Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4b6381b4-5fa4-40b3-9670-87214cc0b2a4/10-000-startups-legal-strategies-for-startup-success
Google https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMjQyMzY0LnJzcw
BuzzSprout https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2242364.rss

I also post video to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@RoyseLaw

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Jeff Faust, CVA, is the Principal of Valuation Services at ASL. He has over 25 years of experience in the valuation of privately held companies for various purposes including stock option grants (IRC § 409A), Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), estate/gift, fundraising, mergers/acquisitions, and more. He has provided valuation expertise to owners/shareholders, trustees, management teams, investors, and start-ups of all sizes and stages of development and in a wide variety of industries including high-tech (Software, Hardware, SaaS, Mobile, Telecom, Social Media, Cloud, AI, Big Data, etc.), manufacturing, construction, engineering, retail, bio-tech, pharma, agriculture and many more. Clients range from long-established companies and highly entrepreneurial ventures to families and individuals. He has also lectured around the world on business valuation theory.

You can see past episodes at 

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-000-startups/id1705589818
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3sVitQ3S211Xg6BfjyYtvv
Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4b6381b4-5fa4-40b3-9670-87214cc0b2a4/10-000-startups-legal-strategies-for-startup-success
Google https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMjQyMzY0LnJzcw
BuzzSprout https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2242364.rss

I also post video to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@RoyseLaw.

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Dr. Jiaping (Charlene) Liu is an intellectual property lawyer with an extensive knowledge of patents and a focus on patent prosecution and assertion matters. Charlene performs client counseling, portfolio development and management in various technological fields, and in particular focusing on AI and deep learning, medical devices, semiconductors, integrated circuits, financial service, and network security. Charlene also frequently counsels clients on assertions and licensing disputes, such as in the realm of standard essential patents.

Before her legal career, she obtained her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton University, and was a Gordon Wu fellowship recipient. Her doctoral work focused on stochastic modeling of data networks, and she worked on wireless transmission protocols for ad hoc networks at Bell Labs during graduate school.

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Infortal Worldwide is a leading global security and risk management company that helps clients across all industries to mitigate their business risks, and protect employees and assets globally.

As the Vice President of Global Compliance & Investigations at Infortal Worldwide, Chris Mason leads the International Investigations Team and works with clients to coordinate due diligence investigations to facilitate private equity investment, M&A deal making, and international business expansion. 

As the Director of Geopolitical Risk at Infortal Worldwide, Dr. Ian Oxnevad leads the firm’s Geopolitical Risk Intelligence & Analysis efforts. Ian’s Geopolitical Risk (GPR) thought leadership informs Infortal Worldwide’s GPR training program, due diligence investigations, and geopolitical risk advisory services. 
https://infortal.com/

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Michael specializes in assessing strategic options, stabilizing and turning around underperforming businesses and driving exits, by improving operations and margins, refocusing strategy, negotiating debt structuring/renegotiations, increasing cash flow and managing expenditures with focused leadership and control, helping public and private companies with domestic and international operations in a wide variety of industries, including technology (hardware, software, cleantech, biotech, social media, SaaS, ecommerce, semiconductor), telecommunications, manufacturing, distribution, retail, construction and agriculture/wine. https://www.armanino.com/company/people/michael-hogan/