Alexander Lazar

Alexander Lazar is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's New York office and is Leader of the firm's Emerging Company & Venture Capital Team and the Blockchain & Fintech Team. 

Areas of Practice

Alex provides legal and strategic guidance to clients in the fintech, software, internet/mobile, digital media, ecommerce, advertising and marketing, healthcare, and biotech industries.

Alex advises clients on a range of matters from startup through IPO, including company formation and founder matters; seed, angel, venture capital, growth equity, and other capital raising transactions; mergers and acquisitions; technology and brand licensing; and other complex commercial transactions, including joint ventures, development, collaboration, and consulting arrangements. 

He is also a member of the firm’s blockchain and digital asset team and represents clients in structuring token rights and various matters involving token issuances and token and cryptocurrency trading and exchange platforms.

Pro Bono

Alex cares deeply about giving back to the community and is especially focused on ways that technology companies and innovators can help solve today’s societal challenges.  Alex has worked closely for many years with Blue Ridge Labs @ Robin Hood, a tech company incubator/accelerator program of The Robin Hood Foundation that provides space, funding, and resources to help launch and grow tech platforms that address economic inequality in New York City and beyond.

Experience

Alex’s emerging and venture-backed company clients have included 3Box, Axoni, BitGo, Category41, CryptoMarket, Door, Evertas, Findigs, Galactic Fog, GirlGaze, IrisVR, Lucidity Lights (Finally Bulbs), Neosync, Nesterly, Novomer, OnDemand Korea, Parachute Health, Portal Instruments, Propel, PurePlus, Rent the Runway, Shipl, Tarform, Team Mobot, and Thnks, among others.

He regularly advises more mature companies in strategic investments and M&A transactions. Representative transactions include:

Representative Strategic Minority Investments:

• Advised Rakuten and its affiliates in their investments in: Lyft, Pinterest, Altiostar Networks, Upstart Networks, CafeX Communications, Simplesurance, Xola, and Ahalife, among others
• Represented a publicly traded US technology company in its Series A investment in a smart data company
• Advised a publicly traded US technology company in its proposed Series C investment in a company providing a financial and credit advisory platform
• Represented a privately held media company in its Series Seed investment in a streaming digital media services company
• Represented an international bank in its Series A investment in a fintech incubator platform
• Represented a publicly traded US medical device company as lead investor in its Series A investment in a cardiological implant company

Representative M&A Transactions:

• Advised Rakuten and its affiliates in their acquisitions of: Viki, Slice Technologies, First Mile, DC Storm, DeepForest Media, Manifest Commerce, Vibrant Data and Nextperformance, among others
• Represented BitGo in its acquisitions of Lumina Technologies and Harbor
• Represented LogMeIn in its acquisition of LastPass
• Represented Boston Scientific Corporation in its acquisitions of BridgePoint Medical and Asthmatx, among others
• Advised a private equity fund portfolio company in its acquisition of a virtual design software company.
• Represented Rakuten in its sale of OverDrive to KKR
• Represented Rakuten in its sale of The Grommet to Ace Hardware
• Advised Atrium Medical Corporation in its sale to GETINGE AB
• Advised Fitness Connection in its sale to LNK Partners
• Represented Rakuten as a major shareholder in connection with the sale of Juno to Gett

Speaking Engagements

• Alex regularly speaks on legal issues facing emerging growth and technology companies, and has served as a mentor and judge in various business plan and business method competitions.
• Presenter, "Exit Strategies," Venture Capital 2019: Nuts & Bolts, Practising Law Institute, April 2019
• Presenter, "Exit Strategies," Venture Capital 2018: Nuts & Bolts, Practising Law Institute, May 2018
• Presenter, "Exit Provisions in Venture Capital Financings," Venture Capital 2017: Nuts & Bolts, Practising Law Institute, June 2017
• Presenter, "Key Issues in Follow-On Financing Rounds," Venture Capital 2016: Nuts & Bolts, Practising Law Institute, May 2016

Events

Digital Media