Start
Emerging Companies
As a full-service business law firm, the Blakes Emerging Companies & Venture Capital group spans several specialty areas and provides strategic advice and legal counsel at each stage of a company’s lifecycle. This includes working with our clients on early- and idea-stage issues, intellectual property, incorporation, governance policies, management agreements, commercial agreements, employment advice and regulatory approvals.
In 2017, we launched Nitro powered by Blakes, an innovative platform that provides access to top-tier legal services for emerging technology companies in the pre-seed to growth stage. Nitro is designed to help guide and manage progress — and reduce cost and risk. As “fractional general counsel,” we provide Nitro clients with the same exceptional level of service and quality of work that we provide to our mature company clients, with custom service offerings that are unique to each client and their needs.
Grow
Financing Growth and Scaling Up
Growing businesses have growing legal needs, and our clients have unprecedented access to top talent, capital and other business resources. Our team has deep expertise to assist both growth-stage companies and investors with their growth strategies, including all stages of venture capital financial rounds and late-stage private financing that can rocket companies to the next level.
Invest
Sponsors and Investors
Raising funds can be challenging to navigate, but we can help. Our team draws on national experience working with fund sponsors on structuring and managing venture capital investment funds and other investment vehicles, including fund formation, management, shareholder and investment agreements, governance, regulatory compliance, and tax issues. We understand what a business needs to help it grow through venture capital opportunities.
We also work closely with investor clients, as both buyers and sellers, to provide advice when formulating an investment strategy and when sourcing, structuring and executing an investment-related transaction.
Realization
Exit Strategies and M&A
When a company is ready for take-off, we can help strategize the best way forward. Whether via an initial public offering (IPO), a sale transaction or a joint venture, we can help companies achieve their vision as they mature.
We regularly advise on IPOs, secondary offerings, rights issues, follow-on offerings and private placements, as well as equity-linked transactions. In addition, we draw on team members with specialized experience to counsel our clients on tax issues, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters associated with equity offerings. Clients seek our representation in connection with listings on all Canadian stock exchanges and Canadian aspects of international listings and offerings, including those on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as well as transactions involving the London Stock Exchange's alternative investment market and offshore private placements.
Our Private M&A team leads the market in Canada with an industry-focused approach and multidisciplinary specialists. For our clients, this means we have a better understanding of their business, strategic objectives and challenges. It also means we work with the right partners in the right industries, especially those that are highly regulated such as financial services, life sciences, food and beverage, renewable power, gaming, insurance, among others.