Launched in 2019, Shahid Law Firm’s Startups and Venture Capital practice was established with the aim of lending a helping hand to startups that are unable to access top-tier professional legal firms due to cost constraints and cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit of the growing business landscape in Egypt and the MENA region.
Shahid Law Firm excels in handling Startups and Venture Capital legal matters, offering comprehensive legal support to emerging businesses and investors. The legal services mainly consist of advising on corporate structures suitable for the startups, registration of Intellectual Property rights and drafting/reviewing standard forms of agreements essential for the start-up of the business, including employment agreements, lease agreements, consultancy, and service agreements. Additionally, the legal services include advising on equity financing rounds (pre-seed, seed, Series A, B and C), joint ventures, partnerships, and debt financing from lenders. Venture by Shahid also assists with advising and obtaining special licenses, approvals and permits needed for a start-up to conduct its activity in the best legal manner.
Our clients range from early-stage startups to established venture capital firms, benefiting from our tailored, innovative solutions and extensive network in the entrepreneurial community. By offering a full spectrum of legal services tailored to the unique needs of startups and venture capital firms, Shahid Law Firm ensures that its clients are well-equipped to navigate the complex landscape of entrepreneurship and investment. Our commitment to excellence and innovation has made us a trusted partner for numerous successful ventures in the startup ecosystem.
The department provides fully business-oriented legal services adequate to the bespoke needs of the startups to help them flourish their business using a cost-efficient model and advanced technology. Tailored packages are offered to startups taking into consideration their cost constraints. In addition to offline meetings, the legal services are communicated through an easily accessible online platform: http://venture.shahidlaw.com
Shahid Law Firm’s team of highly qualified and energized attorneys provide new companies with all needed legal services required to help their business thrive, including but not limited to:
- Registration of Intellectual Property Rights
- Drafting standard forms of the agreements essential for the startup of the business, including but not limited to:
- Employment agreements
- Lease agreements
- Consultancy
- Online terms and conditions
- Service agreements
- Advising companies on corporate structures to determine which type of entity is to be established based on its scope of envisioned business
- Providing legal advice on corporate governance rules to ensure the startup is always compliant to applicable laws and regulations
- Assisting with equity investments including drafting and reviewing transaction documents
- Assisting in obtaining special licenses approvals and permits needed in order to conduct all activity in the best legal manner
Relevant work highlights include:
- Advising Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital (100% female-led SPAC) from an Egyptian law standpoint on its USD 1.5 billion combination with Swvl which is expected to be the first USD 1 billion plus unicorn from the Middle East to list on Nasdaq and only tech-enabled mass transit solutions company to list on any stock exchange.
- Advising E-Finance for Digital and Financial Investment in a USD 3 million financing round in Nexta, an Egyptian fintech platform.
- Acting as the local lead counsel of Hala Ventures in conducting a legal due diligence that led to a USD 1 million seed financing in Intella. Intella is a real time market research platform that operates at the pace of today’s on-demand economy.
- Advising Cartona; a B2B E-Commerce platform on a USD 4.5 million Pre-Series A Equity Funding Round led by Global Ventures.
- Advising Sawari Ventures on a USD 2.5 million Series A Equity Funding Round in E-Commerce Egyptian company ExpandCart.
- Advising on the acquisition of Cairo-based sports data startup Arqam FC by UK-based football analytics company StatsBomb Services Limited.
- Handling the investment of Gemini Enterprises Africa LLC in the award-winning startups of the Uplift4GFF initiative.
- Advising zVendo, an Egyptian eCommerce SaaS solution provider, on a Seed Equity Funding Round led by EFG EG FinTech.
- Advising zVendo on a seven figure Pre-Series A Equity Funding Round led by Mobica and Gratus Holding.
- Advising Lobby Capital LP on a Pre-Series A Equity Funding Round in WaffarX.
