Preccelerator Company Lumenus Featured in ‘IoT For All’ Article

Preccelerator Company Lumenus and founder Jeremy Wall were featured this past week on Iot For All in an article discussing how AI takes wearables to the next level. The company started when the founder, Jeremy Wall, was almost killed while riding his bicycle. It was this life-changing event that pushed him to create products that use technology for something meaningful—to save lives. Today, Lumenus designs and produces apparel equipped with wearable LED lights for runners, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

To read the full article visit here.

About Lumenus
Lumenus is an IoT safety company, building a Smart Lighting Hardware/Software platform using the Internet of Things to provide real-time safety alerts and create actionable insights for both consumers (bike/run/motorcycle) as well as industrial usage (high-risk vocational workers).

Visit www.lumenus.com for more information.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com

Two SAM Attorneys Featured Panelists at Digital Hollywood Spring 2018

Two Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ Partners Greg Akselrud and Dan Rozansky are both featured as speakers at Digital Hollywood Spring this month.

Greg Akselrud will be speaking on “ICOs, Financing, Packaging & Investment: From Entertainment & Indie Project to Technology & Startups” at Herscher Hall, 3rd Floor, Room 303-304 on Thursday, May 24th.

Dan Rozansky will be speaking on “Hollywood and Cybercrime: from Privacy to Piracy, Theft and the Dark Net” at Herscher Hall, 3rd Floor, Room 305 on Thursday, May 24th.

The event will be from May 22-24th, 2018 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. For the complete three day agenda visit here.

Greg Akselrud is a founder and partner of the Firm. He chair’s the Firm’s Internet, Digital Media and Entertainment practice group. Greg advises a wide range of public and private clients across a number of industries, including companies in the entertainment, digital media, Internet, technology, consumer electronics and apparel industries. Greg is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, teaching Business Planning I: Financing the Start-Up Business and Venture Capital Financing.Greg is the author of Hit Man: The Fourth Circuit’s Mistake in Rice v. Paladin Enters., Inc., 19 Loy. L.A. Ent. L.J. 375 (1999).

For more information about the Internet, Digital Media & Entertainment practice, contact Greg Akselrud at gakselrud@stubbsalderton.com.

Daniel Rozansky is a Partner of the Firm in the Business Litigation Practice. Dan concentrates his practice on entertainment, privacy, First Amendment and complex business and real estate disputes. In addition to his diverse litigation experience, Dan also counsels a broad array of clients on developing the best strategies to avoid disputes. For entertainment clients, he regularly reviews television pilots, screenplays and other material in development to assist those clients in identifying and avoiding potential liabilities. Dan’s areas of focus are entertainment finance, anti-SLAPP motions, unfair competition, trade secrets, intellectual property, surreptitious tape recording, reality television, profit participation, rights of privacy and publicity, real estate, partnership disputes and First Amendment issues. He represents clients both at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court on a wide array of issues.

For more information about the Business Litigation practice, contact Dan Rozansky at drozansky@stubbsalderton.com

SAM Client Alpine Pacific Capital Invests in Arable’s Acquisition of Fresh Innovations

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ client Alpine Pacific Capital was a minority investor in Arable Capital Partners’ acquisition of Fresh Innovations, an Oxnard, CA based processor of fresh sliced apples and other packaged fruits.

Fresh Innovations has been a leader in the fresh sliced-apple segment since 2001 and the Company offers its health-driven, conveniently packaged fresh fruits and vegetable products in both organic and conventional options. Fresh Innovations serves the warehouse club, casual dining, entertainment, education and health care segments.

To read Arable Capital’s full press release visit here.

Stubbs Alderton attorney representing Alpine Pacific Capital is Marc Kenny.

About Alpine Pacific Capital
Alpine Pacific Capital is a private equity firm focused on acquiring closely-held, profitable businesses located primarily in the Western Region of the U.S. The firm understands the unique needs of smaller private companies and possesses the necessary infrastructure, experience and vision to help build enduring value.

For more information about our Mergers and Acquisitions Practice , contact Marc Kenny at mkenny@stubbsalderton.com

Preccelerator Alumni RentSpree Announces Partnership with California Apartment Association

Preccelerator Alumni Company RentSpree has just announced that they are partnering with the California Apartment Association (CAA). Together they offer a state of the art tenant screening platform to all CAA members. RentSpree’s standardized process will help CAA’s 15,000+ members work more efficiently with the verification process, while simultaneously reducing exposure to regulatory risks.

Amidst an atmosphere where faxing has been the norm for many, the new service will allow CAA members to seamlessly access a full credit report and score, eviction history report, completed rental application and more with the click of a button on any device.

All CAA members will also be given access to RentSpree PRO, a premium service offering from RentSpree that helps landlords and managers handle the tenant verification process. As part of the alliance, RentSpree will also be working closely with CAA to unveil a series of groundbreaking new features to provide unparalleled flexibility and convenience to members.

“As an organization that always puts our members’ interests first, we see tremendous value in the services RentSpree will provide for CAA members,” said CAA Senior Vice President Kevin Pellegrino. “Together, we will be able to deliver a platform that exceeds all current and future CAA member screening needs.”

“We are very proud to have CAA as a major partner where our combined efforts will provide CAA members with a technology platform that will significantly enhance their businesses,” said RentSpree Chief Operating Officer Michael Lucarelli. “Importantly, our solution makes it effortless for all CAA owners and managers to offer a digital screening process that most tenants expect in 2018.”

About RentSpree
RentSpree is a Los Angeles-based real estate tech company that has created a proprietary platform allowing landlords and property managers to seamlessly screen and verify tenants. The award-winning tool automates the lease application process for property representatives by providing a 24/7, one-stop system for screening applicants.

Visit www.rentspree.com for more information.

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com

SAM Client Champion Technology Forms Strategic Partnership with R9B

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles client Champion Technology, the provider of a next-generation expert system and analytic platform, DarkLight^®, announced it is forming a strategic partnership with R9B. R9B (root9B, LLC), is a leading provider of cybersecurity products and services. The companies will form a technology partnership to leverage DarkLight’s knowledge framework to optimize and cross-correlate data sets.

To read the full press release visit here.

Stubbs Alderton attorneys representing Champion Technology are Scott Alderton and Jonathan Friedman.

About Champion Technology Company’s DarkLight
DarkLight is a next-generation cybersecurity analytic and automation platform. Driven by artificial intelligence (AI), this groundbreaking solution is a force multiplier which leverages the logic, knowledge, and reasoning of security analysts to deliver human-quality results, at scale. To learn more, please visit www.darklightcyber.com.

For more information about our Venture Capital and Emerging Growth Practice , contact Scott Alderton at salderton@stubbsalderton.com

Startup Superhero Video Series! – This Week Featuring Marc Kenny on “Selling Your Business”

Stubbs Aderton & Markiles and the Preccelerator Program are proud to announce the launch of their Startup Superhero Video Series – featuring SA&M Attorneys, Preccelerator Mentors, and entrepreneurs on topics specific to entrepreneurship and lessons learned throughout the journey.

This week we’re featuring Stubbs Alderton & Markiles attorney Marc Kenny on “Selling Your Business.”

Marc Kenny is a partner at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP. Marc’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private securities offerings, cross-border transactions, and other strategic transactions representing private equity funds, independent sponsors, family offices as well as public and private corporations.

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Speaker: Marc Kenny

Moderator: Heidi Hubbeling

Heidi: Talk to me a little bit about your background, how you got to be in mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Also, how you came to be with the firm.

Marc: Sure, I have been practicing for a little over twenty years, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, representing private equity funds, financial sponsors, family offices, corporate strategic and a range of transactions, both here in LA, London and in Silicon Valley. I came to the firm recently after working at another large firm over the years.

Heidi: One of the things we are going to talk about today is with mergers and acquisitions on the seller side, we are going to talk about the ins and outs of that. What are some of the preliminary considerations that a business needs to think about when they go to sell their business.

Marc: I usually start when I meet with an owner who’s interested in selling. I usually start with a series of questions to understand a little more about how they are approaching the process. I ask them “why are you interested in selling?” “Do you intend to stay with the business after the sale?” “Can the business operate efficiently without you? If not, why not?” “What gaps do you have in managing the team?” “Are there family members or members of the management team who want to continue in the business after the sale?” On the operational side I also ask them, the financial history of the firm over the past 3-5 years of what their growth prospects are going forward. If there is customer concentration, I ask them about that. If they are in a regulated space I ask them regulatory issues they have had over the past few years. Going forward, what kind of regulatory issues they see having in their horizon.

Heidi: It’s a complicated process, a lot of people don’t quite understand. It’s not like selling personal property or your home. Can a business do this alone? Or do they need a team to back them up?

Marc: Yes, selling your company is a process that is complicated and intense – I often say it’s a marathon that feels like a sprint. The challenge for a business owner is to run an effective sales process and at the same time managing its business. Don’t jeopardize the business because you have been distracted on the sales process. A way for them to do that is two things: one is they have to assemble an internal team at the company – a small group that you can rely on and have confidence in to work with you on the sales process and at the same time. The goal is for you to keep running your business. The better your business grows during this process the more leverage you have with the buyers. In order to do that, you have to hire outside business advisors. Particularly, outside advisors that have done lots of M&A transactions. Second, you’d be well advised to hire external advisors who regularly work on M&A transactions. You need an investment banker, accounting firm, wealth management advisor. For all involved in a sale, it’s important to seek the advice of a wealth management advisor, investment banker – not only will a great banker get you in front of the right prospective buyers (strategic or financial), they’ll also be able to create a story that corresponds with your historical financial performance with your potential for future growth. And then law firms again, you may have used law firms for real estate, company contracts, but you need to have lawyers who are adept in M&A transactions.

Heidi: Internally what should these businesses do to prepare themselves. Both the owners as well as the team to prepare themselves for this kind of transaction.

Marc: The goal is to become “transaction ready” before engaging with the buyers. By “transaction ready” I mean you have looked both at the good, the bad, the ugly with your business. You should be very honest with yourself about the business, as financial, then as legal, etc. Really the reason for that is if you provide accurate information, to position correctly with your buyer, you will increase the confidence with your prospective buyers and increase the value of your company. We recommend “sell side” due diligence to basically start as if you were the buyer and you start with your management team and the external counsel or advisors, you start going through the due diligence list. Make sure that all the intellectual property in the business you own, that material customers contracts are all in order and they are not due to be terminated soon, that all regulatory issues have been resolved, confirm you have proper documentation for all stock issuances and equity grants. Again, it is a very exhausting process and that is the reason why you need to have external advisors to help you through the process to help you focus on your business.

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com.

Startup Superhero Video Series! – This Week Featuring Caroline Cherkassky on “Convertible Notes vs. SAFES vs. Priced Round”

This week we’re featuring Stubbs Alderton & Markiles attorney Caroline Cherkassky on “Convertible Notes vs. SAFES vs. Priced Round.”

Caroline Cherkassky is senior counsel of the Firm. Caroline’s practice focuses on advising emerging growth, development stage, and middle market companies on a variety of matters, including venture capital and other financings, employee compensation, securities laws compliance, technology transactions, corporate governance, and other general corporate matters. She also advises the funds and other investors that invest in these types of companies.

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Speaker: Caroline Cherkassky

Moderator: Heidi Hubbeling

Caroline: I started my practice up in Silicon Valley, where there is lots of emerging growth work and I spent a lot of time there in Big Law. I moved to LA a couple of years ago and really enjoy being part of the boutique law scene here. My practice focuses on emerging growth companies from start-up, incorporation, documents for employees, commercial agreements, fundraising and exit and the Venture Capitals and other people who invest in these early growth companies.

Heidi: On the deal side?

Caroline: Yes, exactly.

Heidi: Okay. Let’s talk a little bit about the fundraising process one of the major lack of education for a lot of startups is the type of vehicle they should use. The type of instrument they should use, when going for funding. There’s a priced round, there’s a convertible note and there is S.A.F.E They are the standard ones for early stage companies, so talk a little bit about the differences and how each is applied.

Caroline: Sure! So, the priced round is really what most people think about when they think about venture financing. The investors in a company agree on a price, the investors write a check, the company gives them shares and they are now equity holders in the company. The investor owns a certain percentage of the company’s capitalization. They also typically get specific investor rights, company applications and lots of negotiation round specific obligations. The convertible note on the other hand is a debt instrument. It means that the investor does not get equity in the company to start with, they get a note which is an obligation that has to be repaid at maturity, but there are certain triggers in there set forth in which the note will convert into equity. Usually some sort of discount to the next round or a cap at evaluation. Last, we have the S.A.F.E which is an acronym for simple agreement for future equity and that’s exactly what it is. It’s document that sets forth the terms on which the investor will get equity in the company in the future. It’s very similar to a note in that it has typically a discount to the next round or some sort of cap in the evaluation in which the S.A.F.E will convert, but its different from a note in the sense that there is no maturity date. There’s no debt obligation and there’s no repayment. So, it is more flexible in that regard.

Heidi: Is one instrument preferred over the other?

Caroline: It really depends on the company and the circumstances. Typically, it comes down to timing and size of the round. The priced round provides a lot of certainty. The investors in the company know exactly how much equity is being exchanged and the amount of money that is being invested. Which is nice for everybody to have that certainty. On the flip side the convertible notes and S.A.F.Es can be really fast. The priced round requires a lot of documentation and often takes much higher fees and timing to negotiate. The notes and the S.A.F.Es on the other hand are pretty quick, but you lose that certainty. So, often we see that there is no hard fast number, but we often see a fluctuation point of around 1 million dollars on the side of financing where it makes sense to do that priced round.

Heidi: Are there certain pit falls that entrepreneurs should look out for each of those?

Caroline: Definitely! One of the big things is the S.A.F.Es and convertible notes they offer a lot of flexibility, but you have these caps and discounts that are negotiated and the investors and the companies don’t do the calculations to figure out how much of the company is being given around. Especially if you do multiple S.A.F.Es or convertible notes and succession, by the time you get to that priced round you may not realize how much equity has been given up. There are some founders who unfortunately, have realized too late that there has been a lot more equity. A lot of dilution.

Heidi: So, this is all important information for start-up companies as they get through their fundraising process so we appreciate you being here.

Caroline: Thanks.

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To learn more about the Preccelerator Program, contact Heidi Hubbeling at hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Preccelerator® Program Announces Its Ninth Class of Companies

LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 28, 2018 (Newswire.com) – The Preccelerator ® Program, a Santa Monica, California-based accelerator program for early- stage startup companies in the digital media and technology space, announced today that it has added its ninth class of companies featuring three innovative startups.

In 2012 Stubbs Alderton & Markiles launched the first-of-its- kind Preccelerator® Program to provide select start-ups with co-working space, mentorship, sophisticated legal services, curriculum and access to a strategic perks portfolio with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to a funded company. Over the past five years, 37 companies have graduated the Program, of which 24 have received funding totaling over $11.2M.

Louis Wharton, President of the Preccelerator states, “Class 9 is representative of the diverse Southern California tech ecosystem, showcasing fintech, e-commerce and social connectivity. We’re thrilled to partner with these founding teams as they accelerate development and deployment of their market solutions.”

Preccelerator® Program Class 9 companies include:

PayClub, Inc. – Payclub is the easiest way to organize and collect money with a group. Payclub can be used for any type of group, which we call “clubs.” Payclub enables you to manage the entire process directly from your phone with a few simple taps, empowering groups to come together and gain insight without the need for spreadsheets or outdated systems. Whether you are collecting for your club or organization, to planning that next getaway with friends, Payclub will help bring both your group’s finances and the people who matter most, together. Based out of Los Angeles, CA, the team is founded by tech, financial, and sales veterans who had a deep need for a solution to managing funds together. It’s time to #JoinTheClub.

Loved Lots, Inc. – Loved lots offers the best in premium
pre-loved baby goods in one safe and easy to use marketplace. Buyers enjoy the best selection of top-of-the-line baby gear and Sellers benefit from a marketplace of Buyers who know the value of quality baby goods. We’ve eliminated awkward cash exchanges and offer a variety of shipping and delivery options to fit your needs. Rest assured with our Buyer and Seller Protection Programs and feel good knowing that a portion of each sale goes to help children and families in need.

Fork & Spoon, LLC – Connect. Cook. Share. Creating a culinary delight for someone is one of the most genuine expressions of care. Fork & Spoon revolutionizes the dating app paradigm by combining the joy of a home cooked meal with the convenience of a mobile app. Realize or extend your passion for cooking and experience what it’s like to Fork & Spoon. Put a spark in your day by sharing your culinary adventure stories and even your #kitchenfails with our unique community. Welcome to a place where relationships start with the magic of sharing.

For more information about the Preccelerator® Program, visit www.preccelerator.com.

About Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP
Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP is a Southern California-based business law firm with robust corporate, public securities, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, intellectual property, brand protection and business litigation practice groups focusing on the representation of, among others, venture- backed emerging growth companies, middle market public companies, large technology companies, entertainment and digital media companies, investors, venture capital funds, investment bankers and underwriters. The firm’s clients represent a broad range of industries with a concentration in the technology, entertainment, video game, apparel and medical device sectors. The firm’s mission is to provide technically excellent legal services in a consistent, highly-responsive and service-oriented manner with an entrepreneurial and practical business perspective. These principles are the hallmarks of the firm. For more information, visit http://stubbsalderton.com.

About the Preccelerator® Program
The Preccelerator is a novel platform offered to select start-up companies out of the Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP Santa Monica office that provides interim office space, sophisticated legal services, education, networking, mentorship and $350,000 in usable perks from Google Cloud for Startups, Amazon Web Services, and HubSpot among others, with the objective of helping grow a founder’s idea from business concept to funded startup. The program also retains more than 50 active strategic mentors providing free office hours and discounted services, and provides over 50-plus educational workshops and networking events each year. The Program expanded in 2017 to accept a greater number of companies in more formalized classes, depending upon where the companies are in their evolutionary growth, expand benefits to accepted companies, and will look to make strategic investments backed by strategic angel investors. To apply to the Preccelerator, visit www.preccelerator.com/application.

Contact:
Heidi Hubbeling
Chief Operating Officer, Preccelerator ® Program
hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com
310-746-9803

Preccelerator Alumni Company nēdl Officially Launches!

Congratulations to SAM Preccelerator company nēdl on their official launch on Amazon Alexa Echo devices and Alexa Cars including Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mini and Ford. nēdl (like the haystack) is a search engine designed to make live streams discoverable to radio listeners. They turn every word you broadcast and note you play into a magnet to attract new listeners in real-time. Search for “Needle Now..” to find them and start your modern radio experience.

Find nēdl here.

About nēdl
nēdl uses proprietary Speech Recognition to let you search within 100,000+ live news, sports, talk, and music broadcast streams to find what you want and listen to the stream or add your unique voice to the global real-time database for instant discovery. Visit www.findnedl.com

For more about the Preccelerator® Program or to apply, contact Heidi Hubbeling, COO at (310) 746-9803 or hhubbeling@stubbsalderton.com

SAM Client Resonant Closes $20 Million Public Offering of Its Common Stock

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP client Resonant Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN), a designer of filters for radio frequency, or RF, front-ends that specializes in delivering designs for difficult bands and complex requirements, today announced the closing of an underwritten public offering for 5,714,286 shares of its common stock at a per share price to the public of $3.50. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $18.4 million from the offering after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses.

To read the full press release, click here.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles’ attorneys that represented Resonant in the transaction were John McIlvery and Jonathan Friedman.

About Resonant^® Inc.
Resonant is creating software tools and IP & licensable blocks that enable the development of innovative filter designs and modules for the RF front-end, or RFFE, for the mobile device industry. The RFFE is the circuitry in a mobile device responsible for the radio frequency signal processing and is located between the device’s antenna and its digital baseband. Filters are a critical component of the RFFE that selects the desired radio frequency signals and rejects unwanted signals and noise.

To learn more about our Public Securities Practice, contact John McIlvery at jmcilvery@stubbsalderton.com.