Skip to Main Content.

Venture

Practicing at the intersection of business innovation and law.

Our venture capital team represents emerging technology, tech-enabled and life science companies from concept to exit. We assist founders with formation, capital raising, building the team, and commercializing and protecting intellectual property assets. We invest time to understand each client’s business in order to provide better legal solutions tailored to the company’s stage, strategy and environment. We also remain committed to staying abreast of current trends and future industry developments.

Our team is consistently recognized for delivering excellent client service, being uber-responsive, digging deep and finding answers quickly—not just during periods of stability, but in times of uncertainty and disruption as well. By leveraging the insights gleaned from our experience across a wide range of industries, we help ensure our clients close financings on competitive terms with clear sight of the implications of raising capital for the company and its stakeholders along the entire journey.

Key Contacts

A man is smiling while dressed in a blue suit and white shirt against a plain white background.
Vance V. VanDrake III

Partner

Cincinnati, OH

A man wearing glasses, a navy suit, a white shirt, and a striped tie is smiling against a plain white background.
Zachary D. Bahorik

Partner

Cincinnati, OH

How We Help Clients

Emerging Company Representation

As trusted advisors, our venture capital attorneys act as liaisons between company leadership and Frost Brown Todd’s broader team of attorneys focusing in distinct areas of the law. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, we offer the full range of services integral to a successful business operation, with a focus on empowering innovative, high-growth companies. Our team has notable depth in the following areas:

  • Formation
  • Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
  • Intellectual Property, Licensing and Joint Development
  • Privacy and Data Security
  • Due Diligence Preparation
  • Capitalization Table Management
  • Seed, Venture and Growth Capital Financings
  • Corporate Governance
  • Tax
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Real Estate

In addition to our legal services, our programs allow us to extend discounts to firm clients for key services required for venture-backed companies, such as 409A valuations, equity management, and Directors & Officers and Errors & Omissions insurance.

Investor Deal Representation

Investing in seed to late stage companies is a high-risk journey. It helps to work with a team that knows the industry, applicable rules and what to look for. We have experience representing angel groups, venture capital and private equity funds. Our work representing investors on new investments includes an assessment of the capitalization structure, formation documents and ensuring the company’s intellectual property is protected. We are also experienced in a variety of divestiture transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, management buyouts and private equity sales. We strive to be trusted team members to our venture capital clients.

International Investor Representation

Through our International Services Team, we counsel foreign businesses on a wide range of issues as they enter into and grow in the U.S. Our venture capital attorneys help foreign institutional investors close equity and debt finance transactions involving U.S. based startups and emerging companies. We are cognizant that our international work crosses jurisdictional lines, languages, and cultural norms. Our Foreign Desks and membership to Multilaw, a global network of local counsel firms in over 150 markets worldwide, enable us to provide international clients with seamless, thoughtful representation in cross-border business transactions and other investment opportunities.

Related Insights

Frost Brown Todd Strengthens Private Equity & Venture Practice with Addition of Partner Ryan Tharp in Denver

June 10, 2025 | Press Releases

Frost Brown Todd (FBT) has added Ryan Tharp as Partner in its Private Equity & Venture practice ...

Hand checking off steps on a due diligence checklist, representing stages in a sale-leaseback transaction for real estate investors
Sale-Leaseback Due Diligence Considerations

May 29, 2025 | Publications

This is the fourth installment in our series on sale-leaseback transactions, a real estate financing...

Modern commercial retail building ideal for sale-leaseback transactions and real estate investment strategies
Breaking Down Sale-Leaseback Transactions

May 26, 2025 | Publications

Welcome to part one of our series on sale-leaseback transactions, which have fueled the growth of ma...

A blend of chess pieces and financial charts, showcasing strategy in trading on a blue background
Portfolio Investments: Bad Choices Make for Big Judgments

May 22, 2025 | Blogs

Any successful private equity investment, whether in a portfolio company or in talent, is preceded b...

A close-up of a person using a digital tablet with a stylus to analyze financial data, representing consumer financial services. The glowing screen displays graphs and charts, symbolizing data-driven insights, regulatory compliance, and consumer protection in the evolving landscape of consumer finance.
To Be Clear…LLCs Can Issue Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)

April 21, 2025 | Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)

*This article is part of a series addressing entity decision and planning issues related to qualifie...

Blurred image of people in a business setting. shaking hands. Family Office Services
Frost Brown Todd Represents Technical Metals, Inc. in Sale Facilitated by Benchmark International

March 19, 2025 | Experience

Frost Brown Todd (FBT) represented Technical Metals, Inc. in its sale to Manufacturing Revitalizatio...

The man find and turn on the lightbulb in the maze-shaped brain on the wall, symbolizing big ideas, innovation concepts. (3d render)
Advanced Section 1202 (QSBS) Planning for S Corporations

March 18, 2025 | Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)

*This article was updated on March 20, 2025.  Section 1202 provides for a substantial exclusion of ...

Business people, high angle and meeting in building with collaboration, financial pitch with document for strategy. Above, tax accountant and table teamwork with budget paper for economy in office
Legislature Takes Steps to Ensure Texas Remains the Most Business-Friendly State in the Union

March 10, 2025 | Publications

On February 27, 2025, Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Tyler) filed Senate Bill 29 (S.B. 29), proposing sever...

Experienced Corporate M&A and Private Equity Attorney Jason Brace Joins Frost Brown Todd

February 13, 2025 | Press Releases

Frost Brown Todd (FBT) has added corporate transactions and health care law Partner Jason Brace to i...

merger and acquisition business concept, join company on puzzle pieces, 3d rendering
Private Capital: Impact on 2025 M&A Activity

February 4, 2025 | Publications

From the second half of 2020 through most of 2022, M&A activity was very robust as capital was c...

Stay ahead of the law.

Subscribe to receive email updates and choose your topics.