What We Do

"Excellent client service."
Chambers Global 2011

Our Venture Capital Group is acknowledged as a leader in its field. With extensive experience advising both investors and companies on all aspects of venture capital financings and a thorough understanding of current market terms, we have the legal tools to help investors prosper and emerging companies achieve their vision.

Investor Representation

Our investor clients include business angels, private trusts, leading domestic and international venture capital and private equity houses, state agencies and investment firms.
Our team provides advice and delivers value to investors at every stage of the investment cycle, including:

• Fund formation
• Debt and equity investments 
• Guidance on corporate governance 
• Exit events and liquidity transactions
  

Our experienced lawyers are committed to offering a service that is not just technically first class but which is also delivered in a manner that matches an investor’s needs.

Through our longstanding presence in the Irish venture capital community and our work with emerging companies, we are also able to present investor clients with opportunities that fit their investment profile and industry specific criteria.

Emerging Company Representation

Our client companies include firms operating in a wide range of sectors, including technology (hardware and software), e-commerce, life-sciences, renewable energy, clean-tech and media.

Our team understand the needs of emerging businesses and our lawyers provide structuring advice on, and negotiate, financing, investment and corporate transactions at all stages of a company’s lifecycle, from formation, through the development and growth phases and onto exit.

Our experience enables us to guide our clients on what to expect throughout the financing process, how to avoid common mistakes and to negotiate the best deal possible.

We have specifically developed an Emerging Business Programme for companies at the formation stage of their development. This programme is designed to provide such companies with a range of key legal services and access to expert advice, all bearing the stamp of Matheson Ormsby Prentice's quality work - at a cost designed to match their resources. For further information, please access our Emerging Business Programme brochure.

Exit Events and Liquidity Transactions

We advise both investors and companies on a full range of exit events and liquidity transactions involving venture backed businesses. Our experience includes advising on domestic and international trade sales, management buyouts, reorganisations and IPOs.

Full Service Capabilities

In addition to transactional advice, we are able to draw upon the depth of our firm’s resources to provide the complete range of legal services emerging companies will need. This includes advising client companies on tax matters, protection of their intellectual property, commercialisation of their products, services and technology and employee benefits.

Click here to request our capability statement.

We have advised:

• Opsona Therapeutics Limited on an €18 million Series B financing round involving Novartis Bioventure Limited, Inventages Venture Capital Investments, Inc., Fountain Healthcare Partners Limited and Seroba Kernel Life Sciences Fund (January 2009)
• the shareholders of ChangingWorlds Limited, including TVC Holdings plc, on the agreed sale of ChangingWorlds Limited to a wholly owned subsidiary of Amdocs Limited (NYSE: DOX) in a cash transaction valued at US$60 million with additional performance based consideration. ChangingWorlds Limited is a leading provider of software solutions to mobile operators (November 2008) 
• Celltic House Venture Partners, Capital-E, Emertec Gestion and AIB Seed Capital Fund on a US$14 million series A funding round in Movidia Limited. Movidia Limited is engaged in the business of developing multimedia and gaming processors for use in mobile consumer products (October 2008) 
• Endeavour Vision Partners and TVM Capital on a €9.5 million series B funding round in CommProve Limited. CommProve is a leading developer of advanced solutions for real-time quality of service monitoring for wireless networks (August 2008)