We have the legal and commercial experience to guide you and help make your technology venture a success whether you are a tech-enabled business buying solutions to improve efficiency, a start-up developing your first product or incentivising your staff, or an investor looking to protect your money.
Our clients are innovative and entrepreneurial. Our aim is to be their valued advisor – we want to know you and your business. We focus closely on clients’ objectives and establish ongoing and close relationships that add value to their businesses. We provide the full range of advice that businesses in the tech sector need, and examples of our recent experience includes:
- Investment: we handle a large volume of funding rounds for tech businesses, such as our recent work with Medical Management Systems, a HealthTech platform based in London, and Thyngs, a FinTech provider in Norwich
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning: we advise businesses on new and emerging technologies, such as advice given to ubisend about their natural language processing platform, and specific IP and data collection issues within it
- Data protection and information law: we have established a very strong reputation for our data protection and information law expertise, working with clients to navigate the regulatory framework of GDPR, marketing and electronic communications, big data, and security breaches. We also provide in-house training to clients
- Employee incentive schemes: it is now very common to offer employees in the tech sector incentives in addition to their salary, and we work closely with clients to find the options that will work for them; we have recently advised on EMI share options for an InsureTech company and growth shares for an international franchise
- Manufacturing systems: we advise businesses who provide tech-enabled goods or services where the value of the product is intrinsically linked to its underlying technology, such as with our automotive and electronics technology client Cosworth, and we are trusted by our clients to protect their hard work, ideas, and designs
- Cloud computing and digital services: our clients have developed cloud-based SaaS solutions in accounting, finance, and customer satisfaction monitoring. Others provide digital marketing services such as affiliate marketing networks. Businesses come to us for robust, fair and clear commercial terms that reflect market trends
- Tech start-ups: our lawyers work flexibly to meet the needs of new businesses that are starting their growth journey. We have a well-publicised track record of working with companies that go on to achieve great things. Come and speak to our start up team to get the right advice at the right time.
Ashtons are the proud sponsors of TechEast, the region’s national representative for all technology matters, and we act for several of its members. Have a look at their page to see more details about membership rates and benefits and the great network of like-minded tech business leaders you can join.
Guide to scaling up your emerging business
We have produced a guide to give founders a high-level overview of the legal issues they might face when looking to scale up their business. It takes our cumulative experience of advising entrepreneurs and innovative businesses, whether just starting out or further down the line, and looks to simplify the complex, competing demands into the following topics:
- Founders – fail to prepare, prepare to fail
- Employee Incentives – employee engagement
- Investment – opportunity or giving up control?
- Expansion – foundations for scale up
- Exit – begin with the end in mind.
Click this link to view our guide to scaling up your emerging business.