Dear Founders: Below are a few thoughts regarding Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes (in no particular order). 1)  Founders should be heartened that there is a lot of “dumb” money out there.  Obviously, the goal is to raise funds from “A” investors who can add value; however, if that’s not working, try plan B – i.e., family offices, etc.  Indeed, Theranos raised funds from the Walton family ($150MM), Rupert Murdoch ($125MM), Betsy DeVos and her family ($100MM), the Cox family ($100MM), and Carlos Slim ($30MM), among others.  2)  Putting aside the potential legal liability, lyi ..read more

Introduction Dear Founders:  It’s hard to do deals when you have little or no experience.  Indeed, no matter how much you read online or how much advice you get from others, you cannot develop the skill set needed to be an effective dealmaker without actually doing deals; that’s the hard truth.  Nevertheless, I thought it would be helpful to share ten “golden” rules of dealmaking based upon my nearly 25 years of doing deals as a corporate lawyer.  Whether you’re doing a financing or selling your startup, consider the following rules (in no particular order): Golden Rules 1 ..read more

To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our series “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.” Every few weeks, we share a favorite video of a successful founder, investor or business leader on a variety of topics. This week, we present Zach Perret, the co-founder and CEO of Plaid. In a solid Clubhouse conversation from a couple of weeks ago (which was uploaded to the a16z Live podcast), Zach shares some words of wisdom for founders (@16:21): “[My] only advice … is don’t die as a startup. I think that is the most important lesson that I learned, which is: Don’t give up – keep fighting. Somehow if you fi ..read more

To Our Clients & Friends:  Welcome to our series “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.”  Every few weeks we share a favorite video clip of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics.  This week, we again present Sam Altman, the former President of Y Combinator and the CEO of OpenAI. In this brief interview (from a few years back), Sam shares some solid advice for non-technical founders trying to launch a technical startup, including the following: In order to succeed as a non-technical founder, “you have to be able to convince really good techni ..read more

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” -Steve Jobs Welcome to our series “Motivational Clips for Entrepreneurs.”  Every few weeks, we share a favorite video clip to inspire and motivate founders.  Why?  Because we know how tough it is being a founder (particularly during this pandemic).  Indeed, whether you’re launching your venture, trying to iterate on your business model or raising funds, you need a little juice to help you push the ball forward.  I ..read more

To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our series “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.”  Each week or two, we post a favorite video clip of a successful entrepreneur, investor or business leader on a variety of topics.  This week, we again present Jeff Bezos, an extraordinary entrepreneur.  In this brief clip, Jeff shares some solid advice for entrepreneurs and founders: “You need a combination of stubborn relentlessness and flexibility – and you have to know when to be which.” I hope you enjoy it.  Cheers, Scott //www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Vi_hf0Dt8 The post More Words o ..read more

Welcome to our series “Motivational Clips for Entrepreneurs.”  Every week or two, we share a favorite video clip to inspire and motivate entrepreneurs.  Why?  Because we know how tough it is being an entrepreneur; and whether you’re launching your venture, trying to iterate on your business model or raising funds, you need a little juice to help you push the ball forward.  I hope these videos are a little juice.  Cheers, Scott //www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnJv0UdOC-Q   The post Motivational Clips for Entrepreneurs: “We Slept on the Couch” (via Elon Musk) appeared fir ..read more

Happy New Year!  Below is a list of my top three posts in 2020.  Cheers, Scott Selling Your Company? Here’s A Legal Checklist Dear Founders: Here Are Three IP Mistakes To Watch-Out For SEC Expands “Accredited Investor” Definition The post Top 3 Posts in 2020 appeared first on WALKER CORPORATE LAW GROUP, PLLC ..read more

To Our Clients & Friends: Welcome to our series “Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed.”  Every few weeks we share a short video clip of a successful founder, investor or business leader on a variety of topics.  This week, we present an old interview of Steve Jobs discussing the importance of quality.  My favorite quote: “We need to get back to the basics and go improve our products and services.”  I hope you enjoy it.  Cheers, Scott //www.youtube.com/watch?v=kib6uXQsxBA The post More Words of Wisdom from Steve Jobs appeared first on WALKER CORPORATE LAW GROUP, PLLC ..read more

Welcome to our series “Motivational Clips for Entrepreneurs.”  Every week or two, we share a favorite video clip to inspire and motivate entrepreneurs.  Why?  Because we know how tough it is being an entrepreneur (particularly during this pandemic).  Indeed, whether you’re launching your venture, trying to iterate on your business model or raising funds, you need a little juice to help you push the ball forward.  I hope these videos are a little juice.  Cheers, Scott //www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQg1V1Kv9-s The post Motivational Clips for Entrepreneurs: “Life Is ..read more