John has extensive experience advising entrepreneurs and investors regarding company structuring and formation, including entity selection, dual-class equity structures, and founder and employee equity issuances. He has also assisted many companies with LLC to Delaware corporation conversions.
John helps companies structure, negotiate, and issue securities in early-stage financings, including convertible debt, Simple Agreements for Future Equity (Safes), warrants, and preferred equity. John created the Safe for LLCs to enable LLCs to raise capital using that instrument. He also frequently represents LLCs in financing and other transactions with private equity funds.
John advises buyers and sellers on mergers and acquisitions, with a preference for transactions ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. In the past five years, he has assisted clients with acquisitions having a value of over $60 million.
John drafts and negotiates commercial agreements for business on a daily basis, including SaaS, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, consumer products, sales representative, joint venture, and entertainment. Having served as lead counsel to one of the world’s largest music festivals, John has special expertise in drafting and negotiating agreements for festivals and other special events, including sponsorship, sponsorship sales, livestream, event promotion, marketing, and ticketing.
John assists companies with a wide range of employment issues, from employee onboarding to incentive plans, including offer letters, invention assignment and confidentiality agreements, executive employment agreements, equity incentive plans (including phantom equity), and short-term and long-term bonus incentive plans.
