Fast 50: How Gowlings helps technology start-ups grow

It starts with an entrepreneur’s bright idea, or a product from an early-stage company. “We get involved with early-stage companies in a variety of ways,” explains David Pamenter, National Leader, Technology Industry Group with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. “Most often they have a prototype or well-developed concept and they need to become more commercially rigorous about what they’re doing.”

Meeting with Gowlings is the first step to producing your product for global manufacturing and sales. “We help our clients develop a list of what they need from a legal perspective and then help them prioritize.” Gowlings will work on a fixed price basis (rather than hourly), which helps new businesses plan their legal expenditures. “We know that cost is key.”

• A Gowlings team will enter a collaborative process with the client.
• File a patent in Canada or elsewhere to protect the invention: Protecting intellectual property (IP) must be a high priority. “If you’ve created something that’s innovative and useful then you want to protect it in a way that reimburses you for the efforts you’ve put into inventing it,” says Pamenter.
• Provide advice about tax structure, IP rights, shareholder agreements, employment agreements and incorporation.
• Introduce clients to Canadian and foreign contacts they may need.
• File trademark applications to protect the name of the invention.
• Meet with potential VC and angel investors to secure funding.
• Help with applications for government grants and supports.

Visit Gowlings website at www.gowlings.com for more information. 

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