Barnea Blog

Comments and Insights on the Capital Structure of Startup Companies

July 29, 2021 / by Ken Shaked

In the regular corporate world, the capital structure of a company usually means the ratio between the company’s equity (money the company’s owners invested in it) and debt capital (external funding injected into the company by banks and other loans). For technology companies, however, the term “capital structure” usually refers to the division of the company’s ownership among the entrepreneurs and investors subsequent to the investment rounds in the company. Thus, holding 50 shares of a “regular” company that has 1,000 issued shares represents ownership of 5% of the company’s shares and entitlement to receive 5% of its distributable profits. However, if you hold 50 shares of a tech startup company that has 1,000 issued shares, this does not necessarily mean you are entitled to receive 5% of the proceeds in the event of an “exit” and the startup’s sale to a third party. Over the years, investors and entrepreneurs in startup companies have developed ownership structures that bear no resemblance to the ownership formula used in “regular” companies.

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Categories: High Tech | Start- Ups

Implications of European Whistleblower Protection Directive on Israeli Companies

July 13, 2021 / by Zvi Gabbay

By October, companies in the European Union employing at least 50 employees will be required to operate an internal reporting system for reporting misconduct that may indicate compliance violations. Furthermore, all companies in the EU, regardless of size, will be required to ensure the protection of whistleblowers from all types of retaliation. The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive originally came into force in October 2019. It gave EU member states two years to prepare to incorporate the directive into their national legislation. Prior to the enactment of the directive, no uniform binding legislation applied to all EU member states and only 10 member states had enacted national legislation in this regard. The upcoming inception of national whistleblower protection laws throughout the EU will naturally trigger a ripple effect.

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Categories: Enforcement | Litigation | White Collar

M&A and Energy – Seven Tips for Israeli Energy Companies Who Wish to Expand Overseas

June 21, 2021 / by Samuel Henri Samuel

In 2020, clean energy companies led over 25% of all IPOs in Israel. With such monetary amounts being raised on the TASE, many clean energy entrepreneurs have turned their eyes to foreign markets to develop and expand their industry, especially in Europe and the United States. Here are seven tips for Israeli companies who wish to plan their entry into new energy markets overseas.

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Categories: Corporate | Infrastructure

A Good Start for A Successful Exit

June 9, 2021 / by Ken Shaked

Entrepreneurs? Launching a start-up? The first question you should ask yourself is what is your exit strategy. If you do not know the answer, you should stop and make a plan, because your exit strategy is your company’s success plan.

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Categories: Corporate | Start- Ups

Startups: How Much Is Your Invention Worth

May 23, 2021 / by Ken Shaked

Licensing agreements are the cornerstones of technology companies based on intellectual property. A licensing agreement is a legal contract between two parties, known as the licensor and the licensee. The licensor provides the licensee a right to use and a limited license, while the licensee accepts a series of conditions related to use of the product and payment for such use.

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Categories: Corporate | High Tech | Start- Ups

Five Key Points on Capital Raising for Hedge Funds

May 9, 2021 / by Roy Engel

The cornerstone of a successful hedge fund is a successful investment strategy. That is self-evident. However, if the managers of the potential hedge fund are not successful in raising capital, this potential will never be tested or realized. We list below the five key points we believe hedge fund managers should take into account when raising capital for their funds.

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Categories: Capital Markets

2021: Trends in Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

April 25, 2021 / by Zvi Gabbay , Eran Elharar

2020 was a particularly challenging year due to the coronavirus pandemic. For corporate risk managers and compliance officers, the year posed additional challenges. Organizations had to contend with an alarming rise in cyberattacks, supply chain constraints, employee health and safety, corporate governance and compliance, and diverse risks relating to or deriving from various content worlds. Nevertheless, if 2020 has taught us anything, it is that risks to a corporation, regardless of their source, are intertwined.

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Categories: Regulation

Five Things You Didn’t Know about Impact Investing

April 11, 2021 / by Sagi Gross

In the last decade, impact investments have become an international trend to address global challenges in the areas of environment, welfare, health, employment, and education. In light of the development of the impact investments’ field, we recommend familiarizing yourself with several terms that may help when examining investments in general and impact investments in particular.

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Categories: Corporate | Regulation

Retail and Tech in a Post-COVID World

March 24, 2021 / by Barnea

2020 marked a monumental shift in consumer behavior, with the retail industry particularly affected by the global spread of COVID-19. Between nationwide quarantines and the looming threat of disease, retailers had to adapt quickly to survive the forced seclusion and distancing. While some have been building their e-commerce brands and marketplaces for years, others were less prepared and were left to either sink or swim.

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Categories: High Tech | Internet

Technology IPOs – A Meeting of Cultures at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

March 16, 2021 / by Michael Barnea

Israeli tech companies have recently joined the wave of initial public offerings on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. This is not the first time tech companies have gone public on the TASE and it will take some time to see if this is a real trend or a temporary phenomenon motivated by the tide of capital markets activity in the coronavirus era.

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Categories: Capital Markets