Private Equity: Venture Capital | Europe

Gómez-Acebo & Pombo maintains strong venture capital capabilities spread across key teams in Barcelona, Madrid and New York, with a client list that consists of major Spanish and US funds. The team advises on funding rounds in favour of start-ups in the IT, fintech and food sectors. It acts for Spanish companies seeking to buy foreign VC-owned competitors. The firm has won roles in several mid-cap and larger transactions carried out by investment managers, including those targeting the energy sector or real estate assets, and also acts for portfolio companies on add-ons.

Osborne Clarke is recognised as an important venture capital practice headquartered in Barcelona, which offers particular experience in transactions targeting IT, edtech, digital health, media and technology companies. The firm acts for emerging companies on their investment rounds, as well as on the investor side. Its client roster features international funds as well as domestic start-ups.

Cuatrecasas offers a wide-ranging practice advising on a variety of mandates in the private equity space. The firm often acts for corporate clients that are the targets of private equity investment, with experience on the buy side of standout transactions that have significant Latin American or Portuguese considerations and a proven track record in direct lending transactions. Cuatrecasas is also well equipped to assist clients with venture capital financing rounds.

Pérez-Llorca benefits from an extensive domestic footprint and assists national and international funds that are active in Spanish private equity and venture capital transactions, often with a cross-border dimension. The firm acts on mid-cap acquisitions on behalf of important Spanish asset management companies. Additionally, it handles portfolio management mandates, including post-acquisition mergers. The group is also noted as a strong choice for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital and scale up, regularly acting on all stages of fundraising. It also assists venture capital funds with their early-stage and growth capital investments. The team further advises on the structuring of partial exits, which involve selling funds maintaining a minority stake in portfolio companies following secondary sale processes.

AKTION is a boutique law firm in the venture capital space headquartered in Valencia, with extensive experience in representing both emerging companies and venture capital funds in their investments in Spain. The firm regularly advises clients from the technology, innovation, blockchain, cryptocurrency and IT sectors. It predominantly supports Valencia-based start-ups throughout their life cycle, including the fundraising process of the company. The team acts in early-stage funding rounds from international and domestic investors as well as angel investing.

Andersen boasts expertise in the venture capital market, assisting private equity and investment companies with fund management, financing rounds, new investments and M&A transactions for companies and start-ups. The team aids both domestic and international funds, as well as investees from the technology and innovation sectors.

Ejaso ETL Global is equipped to handle venture capital and private equity matters. It offers specific expertise in M&A transactions, seed rounds, joint ventures, licensing deals and other contractual work. The team assists investors and start-ups who are active in the e-commerce, healthcare, cybersecurity and technology spaces.

Garrigues draws from a strong bench of transactional experts who regularly act for private equity firms on LBOs, carve-outs, add-on acquisitions and sales. The department is well suited to handling transactions that draw on the knowledge and skills of lawyers based in smaller Spanish cities. The firm provides wider services to private equity clients through its expertise in finance, restructuring, tax and disputes. Garrigues also enjoys a strong presence in venture capital mandates, with a solid track record in equity deals carried out by several of the key venture capital firms investing in Spain.

Bilbao-based Lawesome is well regarded for its venture capital work, advising a range of target companies, particularly from the tech sector. The lawyers also assist venture capital funds with investments as well as venture capital-backed company M&A transactions. The firm regularly advises on funding rounds.