Startup Basics: The Agreements Every Founder Needs
What agreements do you need for the people helping build your company? In the latest New Ventures Startup Basics video series, Jake Denham breaks down three essentials—offer letters, independent contractor agreements, and advisor agreements—and explains how getting them right can protect your IP, avoid costly worker-classification issues, and keep your cap table clean.
Watch the full video to learn which agreement best fits each relationship.
ACCESS Georgia Cohort and Accelerator Program Presentation
Lindsay Karas Stencel will present "Smart Legal Moves for Founders" at the ACCESS Georgia Cohort and Accelerator program on July 15, with 30 founders participating. Her session will cover key legal considerations for early-stage companies, including intellectual property fundamentals such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The Access Georgia Foundation works to bridge the support gap for early-stage entrepreneurs and position them up for long-term success. Originally launched in 2020 with support from TiE Atlanta, the program became an independent organization in 2024. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $2.3 million into 17 companies across the Southeast, supported 97 companies through its programming and connected founders with 85 mentors who have provided more than 1,600 hours of business coaching.
Jake Denham Talks Startup Pitfalls at Healthcare Capital Markets Innovation Summit
Jake Denham recently joined the Healthcare Capital Markets Innovation Summit in Columbus, Ohio, where he and Michelle Murcia led a session on common mistakes startups make in their early stages—and, more importantly, how founders can unwind those missteps when they happen. Some of the lessons covered included the importance of proper formation documents, cap table management, intellectual property protection, and the fundamentals of vesting, restricted stock, and Section 83(b) elections. Thanks to organizers Neil Johnson and John Ziegler for a sharp, well-run event, and to the Book+Street team and Michelle Murcia for a great discussion. We are already looking forward to the next one!
Congratulations to WEI's Latest Cohort of Women Founders
Atlanta's Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) recently celebrated the graduation of its newest cohort at Atlanta Tech Village – Buckhead. As the nation's only municipally-funded accelerator focused on women entrepreneurs, WEI has graduated more than 100 entrepreneurs who have collectively raised $6.29 million in capital and created more than 750 jobs. The latest class of 13 founders is now poised to connect with investors, grow their customer base, and scale their businesses across the city and beyond. Thompson Hine is proud to partner with and support WEI in its mission to empower women entrepreneurs. Congratulations to the new graduates!
Thompson Hine Sponsors the Third Annual Healthy Human Economy® Innovation Exchange During Atlanta Tech Week
As part of Atlanta Tech Week, the Healthy Human Economy Innovation Exchange on August 10, 2026, will convene a curated group of health innovation investors, founders, and health system executives for a focused discussion on the complexities of health care procurement.
Lindsay Karas Stencel will participate in the featured panel, “Procurement Unlocked,” which will examine how health tech companies can effectively sell into hospital systems and health plans. The discussion will highlight where deals most often stall and what founders and buyers need to understand from legal, regulatory, and operational perspectives.
The session will take a practical, practitioner-led approach to key issues such as compliance hurdles, contracting dynamics, and transaction structuring considerations that can influence a deal’s success. The program will also provide valuable opportunities to engage with key stakeholders across the health care innovation ecosystem and gain insights relevant to fund formation, deal structuring, and growth within the health tech sector.
Does Your Fund Size Still Make Sense?
It's a question more venture capital firms are asking today, and the answer often comes down to three interconnected decisions. Leading rounds now means writing bigger checks, with median lead investments 25% to 50% higher than they were just three years ago. As a result, funds are becoming more concentrated, with fewer portfolio companies competing for capital.
Follow-on investments have grown as well. Because leading a round often creates an expectation that investors will continue supporting the company, maintaining a pro rata stake can require significant additional capital if a portfolio company later attracts a major Tier 1 investor.
Then there are bridge financings. One here and another there can quickly consume capital that might otherwise fund new investments. At the same time, maintaining strong founder relationships remains important. Taken together, these dynamics create pressure to raise a larger fund. Whether that remains the right strategy, however, depends on each firm’s investment model, portfolio construction goals and LP expectations. The incentives all point in the same direction—raise a bigger fund next time, which, of course, LPs always love.
QuickLaunch: Experienced Guidance for Startups and Investors
Our QuickLaunch program is tailored to entrepreneurs, startups and investors, providing guidance on growth and funding cycles and offering cost-effective counsel on day-to-day legal matters from formation to funding to exits. Our seasoned team helps navigate the confusing waters of growth, funding, expansion and those tricky legal issues that can arise, often at fixed or budgeted pricing by using our firmwide proprietary SmartPaTH Plus™ tool. To learn more about our tailored, value-enhancing solutions, please visit our site.