Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Legal Services

Scale LLP’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Legal Service’s Team is dedicated to empowering startups, emerging growth companies, and venture capital investors of all sizes to thrive in today’s competitive market. Our experienced attorneys bring a wealth of industry knowledge and legal expertise to support our clients through every stage of the emerging company lifecycle.

We provide robust support by guiding entrepreneurs through corporate formation, helping them select the optimal legal structure and preparing foundational documents. Our expertise extends to setting up and maintaining cap. tables, ensuring clear and accurate representation of ownership stakes and investor rights. We also design, implement, and administer equity incentive plans for the issuance of stock options, restricted stock units, and other equity compensation arrangements to attract and retain top talent.

Corporate governance is a cornerstone of our practice. We guide corporate clients and portfolio companies in implementing best practices and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, fostering sustainable growth and stability. When it comes to exit strategies, whether through mergers and acquisitions or initial public offerings, we adeptly guide our clients through these transformative events, maximizing value and minimizing risks.

Our team also represents investors in all stages of debt, SAFE, and equity financing transactions. We provide comprehensive support, from initial investment structuring to closing, ensuring that our clients' interests are protected and aligned with their strategic goals. Our attorneys conduct thorough due diligence, negotiate term sheets, and draft investment agreements that safeguard our clients' investments and foster long-term partnerships with portfolio companies.

Many of our attorneys have been trained at top-tier law firms, where they honed their skills on high-stakes transactions and complex legal matters. They joined Scale LLP to offer a more efficient and hands-on legal service. Our clients receive personalized attention from senior attorneys, ensuring a higher level of engagement and responsiveness.

Furthermore, many of our attorneys have significant in-house experience, providing them with a practical, grounded perspective that is invaluable to our clients. This firsthand knowledge of the internal workings of businesses allows us to offer advice that is not only legally sound but also aligned with the operational realities and strategic goals of our clients.

We work closely with our clients, gaining a deep understanding of their goals and challenges. This client-centric philosophy ensures that our legal solutions are not only sound but also aligned with our clients’ strategic business objectives. We pride ourselves on being more than just legal advisors; we are strategic partners committed to our clients’ success.

Emerging companies face a unique set of legal hurdles that, if left unaddressed, can limit funding options, derail investor confidence or delay exits. From first check to final liquidity event, startup legal decisions carry long-term consequences. Scale LLP helps clients navigate these issues early and effectively.

Raising capital through SAFEs, convertible notes or equity rounds may seem straightforward, but regulatory missteps can turn a simple friends-and-family raise into a compliance problem. Securities laws require careful analysis of investor qualifications, proper disclosures, and jurisdictional filings. Scale LLP ensures each raise—no matter the stage—meets federal and state compliance, avoiding downstream risk.

Founders often make quick equity decisions to attract co-founders, advisors, or employees—only to encounter trouble later. A disorganized cap table, inconsistent vesting terms or undocumented agreements can stall funding or trigger conflict. Scale LLP’s lawyers help clients build clean, investor-ready cap tables, tailored to reflect long-term business goals.

In the early days, startups relied heavily on independent contractors, early hires, and technical collaborators. Without airtight IP assignment agreements, companies may not own what they think they own. Scale LLP reviews and structures key employment and contractor agreements to ensure your core assets are fully protected and transferrable.

Term sheets that seem standard may contain provisions that shift control away from founders or create friction between investor classes. Scale LLP advises on protective provisions, board structure, voting rights, and liquidation preferences—so clients maintain the right balance of control and flexibility. We also help investors spot red flags in founder-side documentation.

Startups are often unprepared for the scrutiny that comes with diligence. Missing contracts, unclear IP rights, outdated company records, and messy capitalization structures can delay or tank a deal. Scale LLP works with companies to stay diligence-ready at every stage, so they can move quickly and confidently when opportunity arises.

Legal counsel for startups is never one-size-fits-all. As an emerging companies and venture capital law firm, we offer practical, forward-looking counsel grounded in real startup experience—not just legal theory. Our team includes former big-firm and in-house attorneys who have guided early-stage deals from formation to exit.

We know how investors think because we’ve represented them. We understand founder pressure because we’ve worked in startups ourselves. Whether you're preparing for your first round or your third acquisition, we help you get the legal side right—on your timeline, with your growth in mind.

Let’s talk about where your business is headed and how we can help.