Startup Companies
Tonkon Torp represents technology startups from formation and founding to ongoing maintenance and exit strategies. The work we do with our startup clients is fundamentally about problem solving, and we help our clients anticipate and navigate the twists and turns of starting and growing a business.
Beyond the legal details, we offer consultation and advising, helping entrepreneurs find the ideal pitch and position to attract capital and buyers. We maintain close working relationships with a number of funding organizations, and our team is comprised of attorneys who are experienced investors themselves.
Beyond the legal details, we offer consultation and advising, helping entrepreneurs find the ideal pitch and position to attract capital and buyers. We maintain close working relationships with a number of funding organizations, and our team is comprised of attorneys who are experienced investors themselves.
Tonkon Torp Guides SnappyData through Equity Sale
Tonkon Torp helped client SnappyData, Inc. to negotiate and complete an equity sale to TIBCO Software. SnappyData is a software company based in Portland that operates in the open-source big data space.
Corporate Conversion and Financing for Circuitry Company
Advised client with the negotiation of a term sheet and the documentation of the conversion from an Oregon corporation into a Delaware corporation, as well as the offer, issuance and sale of Series A Preferred Stock to a venture capital fund.
Software Solutions Unlimited, Inc.
Tonkon Torp represented a business-to-business software services provider in the sale of its assets to a strategic buyer. The transaction involved highly negotiated and significant earnout provisions. Tonkon also played a significant role in addressing and reconciling the differing and strongly held views of the family shareholders.
4.23.2020
Trump Proclamation Suspends Entry of Immigrant Visa Applicants Into U.S. for 60 Days
On April 22, 2020, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation temporarily suspending entry into the United States of certain foreign nationals outside the United States seeking immigrant visas. The Proclamation has several exceptions, and…
4.22.2020
Hemp and the Pitfalls of the USDA’s Interim Final Rule
Despite regulatory uncertainty and increased competition, we continue to see explosive growth in the amount of hemp production in the United States, with the amount of total acreage increasing by approximately 550% since the passage of the 2018 Farm…
4.17.2020
Top 6 Ways To Protect a Cannabis Business Brand
As I previously discussed in my article and podcast published in the Portland Business Journal, U.S. federal trademark law does not currently extend to cannabis products. Because the required “use in commerce” of the cannabis plant and related…
9.12.2019
What You Need to Know About Buying and Selling Products Containing Cannabidiol (CBD)
It seems as though products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are everywhere – in supermarkets, health food stores, gyms, even the corner convenience store. And CBD can come in almost every product, regardless of the shape or size: oil, toothpicks, dog…
9.6.2019
The Challenging State of Brand Protection in the Cannabis Industry
Trademark law in the U.S. protects “any word, name, symbol, or design, or any combination thereof, used in commerce” to identify one company’s goods or services from another, and to indicate the source of the goods or services. Protection is…
5.18.2020
Tonkon Torp Webinar Shares How COVID-19 has Changed the Investor Landscape
On May 5, Tonkon Torp hosted a webinar focused on how investors are responding to the pandemic, and how emerging companies can find capital in this unpredictable environment. The webinar was moderated by Brenda Meltebeke, Chair of Tonkon Torp's…
4.24.2020
Sherrill Corbett and Jessica Morgan Explore Cannabis Business Transition Strategies for PBJ Podcast
Sherrill Corbett and Jessica Morgan were featured guests on the April 8 episode of the Portland Business Journal’s Thought Leadership Podcast. Their episode explored smart transition strategies for businesses in the cannabis industry.
6.26.2019
Startup Jill-of-All-Trades Robin Jones Leads June Tonkon Talk
Robin Jones, CEO of Monsoon, Inc., and a noted Portland-based startup Jill-of-All-Trades, was the featured guest at the June 5 Tonkon Talk.
6.13.2019
Parna Mehrbani Speaks About IP for Food Industry Startups
On May 15, Tonkon Torp hosted the second session of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network’s Angel Food Education series. Attorneys Tyler Harkness and David Forman emceed the event and welcomed 45 food industry entrepreneurs who are participating in OEN’s…
5.24.2019
Tyler Harkness Featured in PSU Blockchain Panel
Tyler Harkness was a featured panelist at Unlocking Blockchain for Business Leaders, a training event hosted by the Portland State University Center for Executive and Professional Education.
5.16.2019
Tyler Harkness Speaks to PSU Students about ICOs
Tonkon Torp attorney Tyler Harkness was a guest speaker for a blockchain seminar offered by Portland State University. Tyler spoke to graduate students about the evolution of Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and related federal and state securities laws…
4.22.2019
Tyler Harkness Explores ICOs and Blockchain’s Impact on Venture Capital Financing at TechFest NW
Tonkon Torp attorney Tyler Harkness was featured on two panels during TechFest NW, which was held at Portland State University (PSU).
4.16.2019
Serial Entrepreneur Genevieve LeMarchal Leads April Tonkon Talk
Genevieve LeMarchal, one of the founders of XXcelerate Fund, was the featured guest at the April 3 Tonkon Talk.
4.10.2019
Blerina Kotori Participates in OEN “Ask the Attorney” PubTalk
On March 13, Tonkon Torp employment law partner Blerina Kotori was a panelist at the “Ask the Attorney” PubTalk hosted by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.
4.9.2019
Tonkon Torp Attorneys Provide Legal Overview at TiE XL Bootcamp
On March 4, attorneys from Tonkon Torp’s Entrepreneurial Services and Labor & Employment practice groups spoke to Oregon startups participating in the TiE Oregon XL Bootcamp.
Representative Matters
Corporate Conversion and Financing for Circuitry Company
Advised client with the negotiation of a term sheet and the documentation of the conversion from an Oregon corporation into a Delaware corporation, as well as the offer, issuance and sale of Series A Preferred Stock to a venture capital fund.