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New Ventures Strategic Partner Spotlight: <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/professionals/ashley-m-bailes/">Ashley Bailes</a>

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Ashley is a managing associate in the firm's Business Litigation group, focusing on complex commercial disputes. Her practice spans state and federal courts, as well as arbitration and mediation. Her experience covers all phases of litigation and pre-litigation, ensuring comprehensive support for her clients. Ashley is adept at navigating the intricacies of the legal system, and she is skilled in and committed to achieving favorable outcomes for her clients, whether through settlement negotiations or the court system. Ashley’s dedication and skill in high-stakes litigation make her an invaluable ally to founders and startups seeking trusted legal counsel.

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Thompson Hine Continues Growth – Expanding Reach to Minneapolis

Thompson Hine has <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/insights/thompson-hine-expands-to-minneapolis-enhances-ip-technology-litigation-practice/">announced</a> the opening of a new office in Minneapolis, further expanding its national footprint and strengthening its intellectual property (IP) and technology litigation capabilities. The expansion follows the firm’s recent launch in Los Angeles, reflecting its continued growth strategy.

For Thompson Hine’s New Ventures practice, this expansion presents an exciting opportunity to explore the Minneapolis startup and innovation ecosystem. With a thriving tech sector, a growing base of healthcare, fintech, and foodtech startups, and a strong investor network, Minneapolis offers new possibilities for business development, partnerships, and deal flow. The New Ventures team plans to leverage the firm’s increased presence to connect with emerging companies, venture capitalists, and industry leaders, strengthening its reach and influence in this dynamic market.

Event Recap: Startups Streamlined – Next Stop: Cleveland

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Startups Streamlined event in Atlanta, where we explored the city’s thriving and ever-evolving startup ecosystem. Our panelists offered valuable insights into key industry trends and tackled pressing challenges facing startups, founders, and venture capital investors—including employment issues, intellectual property concerns, and the changes to environmental rules and regulations.

Atlanta’s rise as an innovation hub was on full display, with discussions highlighting the city’s strengths in fintech, health tech, logistics, and sustainability. With strong access to capital, a robust talent pipeline from leading universities, and a commitment to inclusivity, Atlanta continues attracting entrepreneurs and investors alike. We’re excited to keep the momentum going at our next Startups Streamlined event in Cleveland on May 7. Join us as we continue the conversation, connecting with industry leaders and driving innovation forward. to register, contact Elise Hoffer at <a href="mailto:Elise.Hoffer@ThompsonHine.com?subject=Startups Streamlined 5.7.25">Elise.Hoffer@ThompsonHine.com</a>. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thompson Hine to Sponsor P33’s Upcoming Speed Round

Speed Round is <a href="https://www.p33chicago.com/">P33’s</a> virtual pre-seed accelerator program purpose-built to help founders in the Chicago ecosystem raise their next round more efficiently and effectively. Through our program’s weekly workshops, they introduce the early-stage founders in our ecosystem to outstanding operators, investors, and ecosystem partners (like Thompson Hine) who not only share their deep experience but also open their networks to make introductions for our founders. In the last year, founders who have gone through the program have raised an additional $30M. P33 is amid their fifth cohort—and is excited for <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/professionals/aisling-susan-olaoire/">Aisling O’Laoire</a> to join as a presenter to lead a session on the Legal and Operational Foundations of starting and running a venture-scale business on April 10.

North Coast Ventures Annual Meeting Sponsor

Thompson Hine is proud to sponsor the upcoming <a href="https://northcoast.vc/">North Coast Ventures</a> Annual Meeting on April 9 with one potential key topic being the recent acquisition of AmpliFund, a Cleveland-based leader in grant management software, by Euna Solutions. This strategic move will enable Euna Solutions to better serve over 3,400 public sector clients by streamlining operations, enhancing transparency, and ensuring compliance. North Coast Ventures, a Cleveland-based capital partner, invests primarily in early-stage B2B and SaaS companies, making this acquisition particularly relevant to the local innovation ecosystem.

Honoring a Legacy: Sig Mosley’s Impact on Southeast Venture

Thompson Hine is proud to sponsor the upcoming celebration of Sig Mosley at TiE Atlanta and Zane Venture Fund's <a href="https://events.tie.org/TiEAtlanta/HonoringaLegacySigMosleysImpactonSoutheastVenture">April 29 event</a> at SCADshow. Sig's pivotal role in the landmark $5.6 billion Tradex-Ariba acquisition in 1999-2000 helped position Atlanta as a major tech hub. This milestone event will honor his legacy and discuss strategies to further elevate Atlanta as a leading U.S. tech hub, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders for an evening of networking and forward-thinking conversations.

Gain Key Insights on Side Letters in Venture Capital Financing - Strafford Webinar

On Tuesday, April 8, join <a href="https://www.thompsonhine.com/professionals/lindsay-karas-stencel/">Lindsay Karas Stencel</a> from Thompson Hine for a 90-minute CLE webinar exploring the critical role of side letters in venture capital financing. The panel will cover how these agreements function, common investor rights, and their impact on future financing rounds, sales, or exit events. Gain practical tips for drafting and negotiating side letters and learn to identify and avoid potential pitfalls. The session will also highlight emerging trends, including management rights, board representation, liquidity preferences, and enhanced information rights. <a href="https://www.straffordpub.com/products/side-letters-in-venture-capital-financing-drafting-and-negotiating-implications-on-future-financing-potential-traps-2025-04-08">Register here</a>.

Industry Insights: How Much Cash Do VC Startups Need?

The central question for startups today is how much funding is necessary to build a generational business, particularly in the software sector. Data indicates that VC-backed companies typically raise around $100M from Seed through Series D rounds. However, the necessity of such large sums, especially for AI-driven startups, is debatable.

Arguments For Needing Significant Funding:

Money Solves Problems: Capital can help startups stand out in crowded markets.

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VC Investments: Attracting brand-name VC aids in hiring, securing enterprise contracts, and attracting new investors.

Cost Shifts: While overall company-building costs are decreasing, expenses are shifting towards computing and distribution.

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Arguments Against Needing Significant Funding:

Successful Examples: Companies like Midjourney have achieved significant revenue without raising funds.

Less Dilution: Less funding means founders retain more equity.

Profitability: Early profitability offers founders more growth options.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but the trend of founders choosing diverse funding paths rather than the traditional "Bootstrap vs. VC" dichotomy is seen as beneficial for the startup ecosystem.

QuickLaunch: Experienced Guidance for Startups and Investors

Our QuickLaunch program is tailored to entrepreneurs, startups and investors, providing guidance on growth and funding cycles and offering cost-effective counsel on day-to-day legal matters from formation to funding to exits. Our seasoned team helps navigate the confusing waters of growth, funding, expansion and those tricky legal issues that can arise, often at fixed or budgeted pricing by using our firmwide proprietary SmartPaTH™ tool. To learn more about our tailored, value-enhancing solutions, please visit our <a href="https://www.thquicklaunch.com/">site</a>.

New Ventures Update – March 2025