ScaleUp Speaker Series Austin Fall 2023

This cycle of Morrison Foerster’s complimentary nine-part ScaleUp Speaker Series in Austin provided participants with practical insights into the legal side of founding a startup. Participants gained the knowledge needed to manage the legal aspects of launching, funding, and growing a startup, while learning how to avoid common mistakes that can have serious consequences down the road.

• Incorporating a Startup – September 6, 2023 – Participants learned the key differences between types of legal entities and how they impact the ability to raise capital, build a workforce, and achieve a successful company exit.
• Intellectual Property Basics – September 13, 2023 – Participants learned the basics of the different types of intellectual property, how they add value to a startup, and common missteps to avoid that could prevent a startup from protecting its intellectual property.
• Raising Angel Investment (Including Convertible Note Financing) – September 20, 2023 – Participants learned about the most common angel investment structures and practices in seed-stage investing (including debt, equity, and hybrid approaches) and received an introduction to the preferred stock terms that form the basis of venture capital investments.
• Raising Venture Capital Investment (Deal Terms and Structures) – September 27, 2023 – Participants learned the basic concepts, structures, and mathematics behind venture capital investments, including capital structures, term sheets, and capitalization and liquidation models.
• Most Common Legal Mistakes of Startup Entrepreneurs – October 4, 2023 – Participants learned about common legal mistakes, their impact on startups, and strategies for avoiding them.
• Startup Equity Incentives – October 11, 2023 – Participants learned the fundamentals of customary equity incentives and how they are used to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. The session covered founder vesting, restricted stock, and stock options, including ISOs and NSOs.
• Pitch Day – October 18, 2023 (No ScaleUp session) – Morrison Foerster hosted Pitch Day, where selected technology companies presented to a panel of Austin-based venture capitalists.
• Follow-On Venture Financing Complexities – October 25, 2023 – Participants learned how startups and investors manage down rounds, recapitalizations, pay-to-play financings, and other complexities that arise in the second and subsequent rounds of financing.
• Planning Your Exit – November 1, 2023 – Participants learned about the differences among acquisition structures, fundamental mergers and acquisitions (M&A) terms, and the key provisions of definitive M&A agreements. The session also covered the steps involved in preparing for an IPO, including the process, timing, and life as a U.S. public company.

For more information about ScaleUp programming offered in Austin, Boston, New York, and Palo Alto, please visit MoFo ScaleUp.