By Louis Lehot, business and technology lawyer at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley
The Bitcoin rollercoaster has brought a lot of attention to cryptocurrencies over the past year, but you still can’t pay your taxes with them. Aside from some state-level moves to accept cryptocurrencies, taxes must still be paid in the U.S. dollar. And yet, as more businesses go through their own digital transformations, many have been wondering when the economy will experience its own digital paradigm shift.
The idea of a digital dollar is not new. Digital currencies have been discussed for decades, and some even argue that the dollar is already digital. There is merit in that characterization. Most of…
New team members, new deals, news from the Global Silicon Valley
Friends,
Welcome back. As always, the tech world is constantly moving, constantly changing. Today, I have highlights from rocketry rivalry to how AI and smartphones can transform healthcare. There are lots of exciting things happening.
But first, some news at home…
Welcome André Thiollier and Ashley Youn-Jae Lee
Foley & Lardner welcomes André Thiollier, who joins the firm as a partner in Silicon Valley, bringing significant cross-border experience to the firm and to our team. André primarily
represents Latin American companies, both early-stage and late-stage, and private equity funds in countries including Brazil, Mexico and Chile that are looking to…
By Louis Lehot, a Business Lawyer & Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP
Quantum computing is a perennially hot topic in science and technology, with many researchers and companies scrambling to build the first truly practical quantum computer. But as with many technological advancements, the complex jargon can easily obscure the big picture. In cybersecurity, the quantum arms races consists of three fronts: quantum computers, post-quantum cryptography, and human users. With help from our friends at Aimava, we will explore these topics at a digital summit with leading thought leaders, corporations and investors on the future of quantum computing in July.
Quantum computing offers the possibility of solving problems that conventional computers cannot…
Louis Lehot, partner with Foley & Lardner, was recently quoted in The Information in an article entitled, “SPAC Boom Helps Tech Founders Cement Control.” The article examines how mergers with special purpose acquisition companies can be an option that allows tech founders to maintain a greater level of control.
Originally Published here.
By Louis Lehot, a business lawyer at Foley & Lardner LLP in San Francisco and Silicon Valley
Special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), organizations that raise funds in the public markets for the purpose of acquiring a private company and taking it public, had their heyday during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 248 companies went public through mergers with SPACs, exceeding the number of such deals in the past ten years combined, according to SPAC Data.
While the craze continued through the first quarter of 2021, issuance ground to a stunning halt in April. SPAC Research reports a nearly 90 percent drop…
By | Louis Lehot | Business lawyer
Special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), organizations that raise funds in the public markets for the purpose of acquiring a private company and taking it public, had their heyday during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 248 companies went public through mergers with SPACs, exceeding the number of such deals in the past ten years combined, according to SPAC Data.
While the craze continued through the first quarter of 2021, issuance ground to a stunning halt in April. SPAC Research reports a nearly 90 percent drop in SPAC merger filings from March 2021 to April 2021. The overall market value of SPAC mergers…
Louis Lehot is a partner and business lawyer with, Foley & Lardner LLP, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles offices, where he is a member of the Private Equity & Venture Capital, M&A and Transactions Practices, and the Technology, Health Care, and Energy Industry Teams. Louis focuses his practice on advising entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors, and financial advisors at all stages of growth, from garage to global. Louis especially enjoys being able to help his clients achieve hyper-growth, go public, and successfully obtain optimal liquidity events. …
By Louis Lehot and Catherine Zhu, business lawyers at Foley & Lardner LLP in Silicon Valley
A few years ago, initial coin offerings (ICOs) were all the rage in the cryptocurrency world. They offered many projects the ability to raise funds quickly and easily, but they also drew the scrutiny of regulatory agencies. As I pointed out at the time, the regulatory landscape for ICOs was something of a Wild West, with multiple agencies claiming jurisdiction. While the ICO market eventually cooled, the rise of NFTs demonstrates a similarly complicated relationship with existing regulations. As we sketched out in our initial guide to legal issues in NFTs, the cost of non-compliance can be fatal. …
By Louis Lehot, Esq., and Catherine Zhu, Esq., Foley & Lardner LLP
Louis Lehot and Catherine Zhu of Foley & Lardner LLP discuss the rise of financial technology startups and the legal and regulatory scrutiny they may face.
This year has seen a surge in investor interest in fintech startups. CB Insights1 reported that the first quarter of 2021 was the largest funding quarter on record for fintech, surpassing Q2 2018, which included Ant Group’s $14B funding round.
Venture capital-backed fintech companies raised $22.8 billion across 614 deals in the first quarter of 2021, representing 15% growth in deal volume and 98% growth in capital, both measured on a year-over-year basis. Every…
With the significant global economies benefitting from considerable government stimulus, easing monetary policies, and increasing vaccination rates, a return to work is powering growth in gross domestic product across the board. We are seeing large employers offering piles of cash to workers to return to work and pent-up demand unleashed across virtually every sector of the economy. As a result, we expect to see significant growth in M&A transactions in the second half of 2021.
We sat down with Louis Lehot of Foley Lardner to discuss the outlook for M&A in the second half of 2021?
Q: As we enter…
Louis Lehot
Louis Lehot is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Follow on Twitter @lehotlouis
