Jonathon H. Vinocur

I’m a partner and chair of the firm’s New Ventures practice group and spend all of my time working with high-growth, venture capital-backed technology companies and their investors (including VC funds, angel investors, and public and private companies that make venture-style investments).

I advise company founders during their pre-startup stages, through formation and funding, to exit, paying special attention to preserving value. Along the way, I’ve worked on hundreds of venture capital investment transactions, including those led by a single Midwestern angel investor, by coastal VCs and everything in between.

When I’m not working on our clients’ investment transactions, I spend a lot of time counseling them on implementing stock option and other equity incentive plans to be sure they’re achieving the company’s compensation-related objectives in a way that doesn’t result in adverse tax consequences for their employees.

As an adviser to these nascent companies, my goal is to ensure that management’s approach to all things legal is consistent not only with their internal processes, but also with the expectations of potential investors or acquirers conducting due diligence to be sure that everything’s in order. By focusing on the ultimate objective and not getting mired in unnecessary negotiations, our team helps move companies forward on the growth curve rather than slowing things down. This forward-looking focus means we practice law differently than other firms, but juggling and delivering just-in-time is what we do best.

• Ohio

• “Delaware Annual Reports/Franchise Tax Returns Due Soon,” Thompson Hine Early Stage & Emerging Companies Update, January 2021
• “Legal Considerations in Starting a Healthcare Business,” Chapter 20, Section III, Evidence-Based Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, January 2020
• “Launching a Startup? Consider Forming a Corporation Instead of a Limited Liability Company,” Thompson Hine Business Law Update, Spring 2018
• “A Historic Day for Startups – The SEC’s New Crowdfunding Rules,” Thompson Hine Early Stage & Emerging Company Update, November 2015

• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© 2018-2023 for Venture Capital Law; named the Best Lawyers^® 2019, 2021 and 2023 Venture Capital Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Cleveland
• Recognized in Crain’s Cleveland Business’s “Who to Watch in Law,” 2016
• Named a Rising Star by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine, 2013-2017
• Recommended in The Legal 500 United States (M&A: Middle-Market), 2014

• The American, Ohio and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations