Our lawyers partner with founders, start-ups, and investors to help build the next generation of market leaders. Our Emerging Growth and Venture Capital practice is a trusted partner for innovators at every stage of the venture life cycle.
We represent over 100 venture capital and private equity firms and advise on several hundred transactions annually. This volume gives us exceptional insight into market trends, deal structures, and investor expectations, allowing us to provide real-time, actionable guidance.
Our clients span from pre-seed start-ups to high-growth unicorns and public companies, helping clients scale with confidence. We provide strategic legal counsel that evolves alongside our clients – from formation to fundraising, expansion, and exit.
Our team is deeply embedded in the venture ecosystem, with a particular focus on the life sciences, health care, and technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, SaaS, digital media, enterprise software, and beyond. We understand the fast-moving nature of these industries and offer strategic, real-time guidance to help our clients navigate critical growth milestones.
Comprehensive support for start-ups and investors
We offer full-spectrum legal support tailored to the needs of high-growth companies and their investors:
- Venture financings: End-to-end support across all stages – from seed to late-stage growth – with deep insight into evolving market terms and valuation trends
- Fund formation and investor representation: Structuring funds for emerging managers and established firms, with a sharp focus on market dynamics and limited partnership expectations
- Strategic transactions: Guiding clients, including sponsors and venture-backed companies, through M&As, IPOs, and liquidity events, with an eye toward long-term value creation
- Regulatory and compliance: Navigating complex and evolving issues in securities law, tax structuring, employment, and intellectual property
- Global experience: With more than 30 offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia, we support clients wherever opportunity takes them
Strategic counsel for corporate venture capital
Reed Smith also has extensive experience advising corporate venture capital (CVC) investors on structuring strategic investments, navigating governance complexities, and maximizing portfolio synergies. Whether working with Fortune 500 companies launching strategic investment arms or with established CVCs deploying capital in early- to growth-stage companies, we help clients manage risk, structure investments for long-term value and anticipate regulatory challenges that are unique to corporate-backed deals.
Scaling with you: from start-up to market leader
We recognize that early-stage companies need more than just legal counsel – they need a strategic partner who understands the challenges of scaling. Our interdisciplinary team works seamlessly to support founders from company formation through growth financing, expansion, and exit. We offer:
- Industry-focused knowledge: Our team members – with knowledge and experience spanning tax, employee benefits, regulatory, intellectual property, and corporate governance – work almost exclusively with start-ups and venture investors. We don’t parachute in support – we are integrated from day one, delivering advice that is shaped by deep-sector knowledge across tech, life sciences, financial services, energy, and more.
- Market-leading insights: Our proprietary internal deal tracking system provides us a unique vantage point on market trends, enabling us to offer timely insight into deal structures, investor behavior, and exit strategies.
We understand the unique challenges start-ups face at each stage of development. Our team takes a hands-on, business-focused approach, working closely with founders and investors to structure deals for success. Whether it’s your first raise, a strategic partnership, or a major liquidity event, we provide the legal and strategic support needed to help you grow, scale, and lead.
