Overview
We have a specialist team dedicated to helping startup companies, particularly in the technology sector.
Our specialist startup team works alongside early stage and high growth companies throughout New Zealand to assist with establishment, shareholder arrangements, capital raising and exits. Our startup team provides regular advice on taxation and employment. We understand the constraints facing high-growth companies and we've invested time in developing flexible, robust and cost-effective solutions.
We are committed to supporting New Zealand innovation in a range of practical ways. We regularly run events to benefit the startup community, including events highlighting success stories, and seminars and discussion evenings on topics such as capital raising, employee equity and term sheets. A useful resource is the article Call me maybe which discusses the types of legal advice early stage companies might require, and when.
We have also developed Back of a Napkin, an online tool that addresses the essential questions that should be resolved at the beginning of a project (revenue sharing, decision making and intellectual property ownership). This free tool generates a basic agreement that is both easy to understand and works from a legal perspective, and provides a great foundation for those who are just starting out but are conscious of getting key business and legal issues right.
Our clients include Vend, Letterboxd, 9Spokes, My Tours, Koordinates, Pocketsmith, Timely, WIP, Lil Regie, Sense Medical, Glassjar, Coachseek, Minutedock, Trineo and Twingl.
"Outstanding! Very responsive, they provide advice that is easy to understand and, where others come up with reasons why we can't do stuff, they give us a list of what we can do."
Chambers and Partners
"They definitely know their stuff. They're very good at getting into the detail and explaining it in a very clear way, taking complicated legal concepts and translating them into business language."
Chambers and Partners
"They are superb, extremely responsive and commercial."
Chambers and Partners
- Finalist New Zealand Innovators Awards, Innovation in Financial and Professional Services
- Gold Award, NZ Design Institute's Best Awards for startup tool backofanapkin.co.nz
Experience
Work highlights
Advising Vend
on its NZ$25m capital raise, from existing investors and new investor Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures
Acting for Pushpay
on its NZAX compliance listing
Acting on the regular capital raises
by Spotlight Reporting, Timely, Atomic Software, Goodnest, Wipster and Revert.io
Advising on Intel Capital’s investment
into Performance Lab Technologies
Advising on 9Spokes'
establishment and capital raising
Providing Gelat.io, Cucumber, Movitae, Twingl, and Trineo
with shareholder advice
Our team
Allan Yeoman
Partner, Auckland
Allan is a partner in Buddle Findlay's Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) team. …
- DDI +64 9 363 1029
- M +64 21 766 312
David Thomson
Partner, Auckland
David specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, governance,…
- DDI +64 9 363 0750
- M +64 21 668 593
Grant Dunn
Partner, Auckland
Grant specialises in corporate and commercial law and has over 20 years experience. …
- DDI +64 9 363 0636
- M +64 21 888 812
Hamish Selby
Partner, Auckland
Hamish specialises in intellectual property and leads the Buddle Findlay intellectual property team…
- DDI +64 9 363 0703
- M +64 21 473 529
Lisette Hood
Partner, Auckland
Lisette specialises in corporate and commercial law, with particular emphasis on commercial contracting, corporate governance and merge…
Mark Odlin
Partner, Christchurch
Mark specialises in corporate and commercial law and advises on a range of financial, commercial and corporate law matters, including…
- DDI +64 3 371 3525
- M +64 21 753 769
Nick Bragg
Partner, Auckland
Nick specialises in corporate and commercial law with considerable experience across a broad range of mergers and acquisitions (includi…
- DDI +64 9 363 0769
- M +64 21 818 142
Philip Wood
Partner, Auckland
Philip specialises in providing commercial, IT, telecommunication, media and television/film sector advice including strategic advice…
- DDI +64 9 357 9385
- M +64 21 624 356
Rupert Rouch
Partner, Wellington
Rupert is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who advises on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and general corporate …
- DDI +64 4 462 0939
- M +64 21 662 159