Startups

The “origin story” of this course is a previously offered 2-credit hour course entitled “Startups & Venture Capital.” That course introduced students to the various legal and business considerations involved in the representation of startup companies and in structuring early-stage and venture capital financing transactions.
That course was structured such that the first half of the course covered “Startups,” and the second half of the course covered “Venture Capital.” We now have the opportunity to expand the scope and depth of the subject matter.
“Startups” represents a full semester version of what was previously taught in half a semester. “Venture Capital” is now offered separately, in the Winter, and similarly represents a full semester version of what was previously taught in half a semester. Each class can be taken independently, but the material does work well as a full-year integrated whole. Both classes, together, represent a 4-credit hour version (2 + 2) of what was previously limited to 2 credit hours.
This course — “Startups” — focuses on the key issues involved in forming and operating an emerging growth business (a startup company), including selecting and forming a business entity, structuring the economic benefits and management control among various owners, and complying with securities laws. With the extra room that a full semester allows, we’ll be examining those matters in greater depth, as well as relevant employment, intellectual property, governance, and (simple) tax and accounting matters.
A knowledge of corporate and business associations law, as well as securities law and finance, will be helpful to a student in this course. That being said, there are no formal prerequisites, and the course is structured for beginners as well as for students with more subject matter expertise.