The short answer is yes. The 2018 change in Massachusetts’ noncompetition laws leveled the playing field for employees, but employers should not abandon this important tool for protecting trade secrets and proprietary information when appropriate.
as at a party a few years back and struck up a conversation with the general counsel of a medium-sized privately held company. The discussion eventually turned to my practice: “litigator” I replied. This often inspires a step back – I mean that literally. This GC had one of the best responses I’d ever heard, and I’ve heard my fair share. “I know I need a litigator the way I’ll know I need an oncologist – something really bad has happened.” I smiled at that. There are few things I like more than a quick wit, and this GC had it. But she got me thinking (occupational hazard).
Imagine selling stock in a corporation for several million dollars and paying exactly $0 of federal income tax. Sound too good to be true? While such an outcome seems like fantasy or even an illicit tax scheme, it is completely legal and even encouraged under Internal Revenue Code Section 1202. Entrepreneurs and other investors who hold stock […]
Tell Us About the Archer Roose Journey Marian Leitner has always loved stories and has always described herself, first and foremost, as a storyteller. Wine, to Marian, is just that – a story. Humans have been fermenting fruit for nearly as long as we’ve been gathering it and. As Marian shared, “There’s nothing more human […]
Patents can be used to protect your innovations. There are different types of patents that can be obtained through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In particular, utility patents are used to protect new and useful processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Design patents can protect the shape and/or surface ornamentation of a manufactured article.
The Nested Bean Journey Manasi Gangan started her journey in a corporate environment, on track to become a software developer and later a product manager. Despite her enjoyment in the field, something was still missing… which she defined as her desire for making a wider impact. “I wanted to create something that was of meaning, […]
Last week I met with an entrepreneur whose young company has a validated business model and revenue model and a group of angels ready to invest. She handed me a sheet of paper with the names of three accounting firms on it. “Which one of these firms should I use?” she asked. My answer may surprise you.
For many companies, especially those offering a SaaS platform, the Terms of Use (or Terms and Conditions of Service) and Privacy Policy serve as the primary agreements between the company and its end users, whether an end user’s access is provided through a customer’s corporate enterprise account or an individual account. So it is vital to know the basics concepts of these agreements and appreciate the role they play for your company.
When founders are seeking their first financing following efforts to self-fund or “bootstrap,” they typically turn to the “friends and family” round, which ideally serves as a bridge to a subsequent round of funding from institutional investors like angels or venture capitalists.
You’ve got a potential buyer, and they suggest that you structure the deal as an asset sale. Should you care?
Your company may have one, two, twelve, or a thousand shareholders. No matter the number, shareholders dictate the direction of the company by majority consensus. When things are going well, everyone benefits, but what happens when disagreements emerge? This article will identify common causes of shareholder disputes, offer potential solutions, and propose preventative measures.
One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs in early stage companies is how to get more traction, how to drive faster growth. In every case, precise target audiences need to be defined.
Intellectual property is an intangible asset, or a collection of intangible assets, created through the ingenuity of people in the form of their brands, innovations, original works of authorship, and confidential information. Intellectual property may serve as the foundation of many businesses and ventures. Thus, it is very important to protect your intellectual property as your business develops and grows.
In Massachusetts, the default employment relationship is referred to as “at will.” This means that an employer can terminate an employee for virtually any reason so long as it is not prohibited by public policy.
Although the many challenges facing startup companies vary by industry and product or service, in my experience representing founders the one constant at the top the list is always the same: FUNDRAISING. The period during which founders can self-fund or “bootstrap” also varies, but sooner or later a decision is made to seek outside funding.