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The countdown has started. Five, four, three, two, one and....

The idea came to you a long time ago. All it takes now is to make it reality! You have to set up your own business, preferably quickly and cost-efficiently. Our startup team will help you with all the legal matters associated with forming and building up a company. Whether it’s a case of choosing the appropriate legal form, employee participation, concluding rounds of financing with the right investors or protecting intellectual property: we’ll be pleased to help and will take the strain off you as far as the legal issues are concerned.

Welcome to our launch pad!
Equipped for the mission?
The countdown has started. Five, four, three, two, one – lift off!

We’ll be with you at the launch

Our startup team is made up of experienced lawyers, enabling us to identify the right solutions for your needs and concerns efficiently and quickly. Enjoy the benefit of our expertise right from the start. And something that is important to us: we see ourselves not only as your lawyers, but above all as your sparring partners.

What happens next

Naturally, you know your individual business model best. Of course, we will be in constant dialogue with you. That way, we can take your actual input and needs on board and can support and advise you at all times, in all matters and in all situations as effectively as possible. We know from experience when we have to ask the right questions to protect you from legal pitfalls.

Would you like to know more?

Want to know more about our services? Do not hesitate to contact us. Or browse through our range of services.

Formation

Preparing for launch

We’ll help you to decide on the right corporate structure for your business model.

We’ll prepare all the incorporation papers: the deed and articles of association and whatever else is needed.

Our in-house notaries can draft the deed of association for you themselves and file it with the commercial register.

We will take over drafting other documents such as the organizational rules, shareholders’ register and capitalization table, shareholder agreement, employment contracts and all other agreements in accordance with your needs so that you can get started as quickly as possible.

Social entrepreneurs

Values count

Does your business idea also incorporate sustainable, social or cultural values? We’ll help you to integrate them into your corporate DNA in a way that makes your mission transparent. Naturally, investors have values as well and are looking for suitable business ideas. We’ll show you how you can outline shared values in your investment presentation and how they can be implemented in financing agreements.

Employee participation

Are you going to offer your employees profit-sharing? If so, how?

When founding a startup, it is sometimes hard to be able to pay attractive salaries. There are many other ways to retain and reward employees. What form will your employee participation plan take? A share or option plan, a phantom share plan or an alternative?

We will help you with the design and all associated documents and shadow you throughout the entire term of the plan.

Likewise, we will support you in the event of a tax ruling so that unwelcome tax implications don't take you by surprise.

Taxes

Even startups are subject to tax

Our tax team will put together an overview of what tax model will suit you and your business model best. The optimum structure is critically important.

Regulatory matters

Demanding regulatory issues

Our regulatory experts will examine your business model. This is even more important if you operate in the FinTech or blockchain sector.

Once the appropriate regulatory frameworks have been identified, we will show you how to comply with the applicable rules and not become the subject of a regulatory investigation. Such investigations include FINMA requests and authorisation enquiries for initial coin offerings.

Financing

Forms of financing

Whether you are considering equity capital, borrowing, mezzanine capital or alternative means of financing, we will help you to find the right type for you.

We will naturally support you in preparing your financing and throughout the due diligence phase. In addition, we will draft all the relevant transaction agreements such as non-disclosure agreements, term sheets, investment agreements, shareholder agreements, white papers and many others.

And finally, we will help you to execute your financing. Our in-house notaries can deliver the complete financing process in a one-stop shop.

Intellectual property

It’s MY idea!

In the startup team, we’ll examine all the relevant registers to see what already exists. And to find out whether your idea is really a new one.

If it is, we’ll support you in registering your intellectual property in order to protect your idea properly and legally.

We’ll help you to understand how you can also protect intellectual property which can't be entered in a register such as software.

Exiting

Mission accomplished

Are you planning to leave the company you founded? Or do your investors want to liquidate their investment?

We can advise and support you through the entire process of any exit transaction with our considerable expertise in the fields of Corporate & M&A and Capital Markets.

Start the journey…

…request launch assistance

Mark Meili

Partner

Guy Deillon

Associated Partner

Andrea Schütz

Associated Partner

Markus Seglias

Counsel (Tax)

Rahel A. Nedi

Associate

Publications

Subject: Startups
Autor: Rahel A. Nedi, Christian Schönfeld
Reading time: 1 Min

Swiss Startup Association x Prager Dreifuss: Are you ready for the revised Swiss Data Protection Act?

Subject: Banking & Finance, Corporate & M&A, Insolvency & Restructuring, Startups
Autor: Mark Meili

Rising Star 2022 for Corporate/M&A/Private Equity by IFLR/Euromoneys Expert Guides

Subject: Startups
Autor: Verena Morscher-Guggenbühl
Paper: PD Newsletter
Reading time: 1 Min

Prager Dreifuss joins SEF.Growth networking lunch

Subject: Startups
Autor: Rahel A. Nedi, Andrea Schütz

Providing Legal Advice for Female Founders

Subject: Startups
Autor: Michael Mosimann, Christian Schönfeld
Paper: International Financial Law Review IFLR

Demystifying blockchain regulation in Switzerland