Cryptocurrency Whitepapers: A List

If you are looking for cryptocurrency whitepapers, we have put together a list of some of the largest transactions over the last two years.

Please help us and we will update this list as more come online.

Cryptocurrency Whitepapers

If you are interested in more information about this, please don’t hesitate to contact Ashley Long or me.

There are more articles about cryptocurrency whitepapers, on our website.

Carney Badley Spellman is about Advocacy, Strategy, Results. Located in Seattle, we are a full-service law firm committed to exceptional client service and professional excellence. Our firm serves individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, closely-held or family businesses, franchises, Fortune 500 corporations, and insurance companies.  They are in the private sector, public sector, and governments.  Our clients are forward thinkers, creative, collaborative, and deliver high-quality products and business services to their markets.  Their markets extend into almost every industry including, food and beverage, retail, professional services, arts, health care, education, manufacturing, technology, construction, real estate, and more.  We advocate for our clients.  We strategize with them to meet their goals.

A Good Day For Equity Crowdfunding

Yesterday was a good day for equity crowdfunding. Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Washington HB 1593. This bill will make it easier for companies in Washington State to use Washington’s equity crowdfunding bill.

Gov. Jay Inslee signs House Bill No. 1593, April 25, 2017. Relating to simplifying small securities offerings.
Primary Sponsor: Brandon Vick

If you like, you can watch the bill signing ceremony.

Thank you Governor Inslee, Representatives Brandon Vick (R-Ridgefield) and Steve Kirby (D-Tacoma), Senator Joe Fain, Cyrus Habib, and everyone else who supported this effort.

HB 1593 will do the following:

  • Harmonize the Washington law with the new SEC rules, including Rule 147A. Rule 147A is a new stand alone exemption outside of Section 3(a)(11) and rule 147. Companies can use Rule 147A without the advertising restrictions that complicate Section 3(a)(11)/Rule 147 offerings.
  • Allow companies to use the Washington crowdfunding exemption without having to be incorporated in Washington State. Delaware corporations will be able to access the law.
  • Allow accredited investors to invest an unlimited amount of money, up to the cap of $1M during any 12-month period.
  • Not require public disclosure of executive officer and director compensation quarterly. Instead, companies will be required to make annual disclosure to their shareholders and the DFI.
  • Sell equity other than common stock and preferred stock. Convertible debt and convertible equity will be allowed.

The next step is for the DFI to propose rules. They will seek comment, and so if you are interested in the process, it would be great to have you submit comments on the rules. If you would like to do this, feel free to email me or call me and I can help you do that.

Re the regulatory improvements, I would like to see:

1) The DFI change the rules on what types of preferred stock preferences have to be included in preferred stock terms

2) Allow revenue loans for companies that are generating sufficient revenue to pay back investors.

3) Allow the exemption to be used to purchase income producing real estate investments.

All in all, I am really pleased with the amendments. The new Washington State equity crowdfunding bill will be relatively easy to use. The big hurdles for companies using it will be:

1) They will have to complete and file the Crowdfunding Form with the DFI.

2) Pay the $600 filing fee.

3) Have GAAP compliant financial statements.

4) Hire an escrow agent to hold the funds until the minimum to close has been satisfied.

Companies that get approved by the DFI will be able to raise up to $1M from both accredited investors and non-accredited investors like who live in Washington State. Advertising will be allowed, even advertising on the Internet that might cross state lines–as long as you still only accept funds from Washington State residents.

For Washington companies that would like to raise money from friends and family, some of whom might not be accredited, the Washington equity crowdfunding approach is a good one to consider.

 

Term Sheets: Binding & Non-Binding

First, let’s get the terminology of term sheets out of the way. Whether the document that outlines your deal is called a “term sheet,” a “memorandum of understanding” or a “letter of intent,” these terms mean nearly the same thing. We will use the “term sheet” in this article, but other words could easily be substituted. The differences between these three are merely stylistic.

Why a term sheet?

The decision-makers for business have decided to do a deal. The deal may be for one company to buy another company, or the sale of stock or promissory notes to investors, or for some other reason. For purposes of this article, we will assume that the term sheet is for the purchase of one business by another business. Once the parties have determined the significant points of the deal, they ask their attorneys to draft a term sheet containing the key provisions that they have agreed on. Invariably, the attorneys will also raise questions about other provisions that the parties may want to add to the term sheet.

By drafting a term sheet, the parties can identify their major issues before committing time and money to due diligence and the far more extensive drafting involved in the definitive agreements. In addition to the provisions in the term sheet, the parties can identify “deal-breakers” and create momentum to move the deal along. Some or all of the provisions in the term sheet can be specified as “binding,” or the entire term sheet can be “non-binding and for discussion, purposes only.”

What are often “binding” terms in a substantially non-binding term sheet?

Exclusivity period. Our hypothetical buyer wants an exclusivity period during which the seller cannot entertain any other offers for its business. Our hypothetical seller thinks the buyer may not have the financial resources, it claims to buy the seller’s too (in its mind) valuable business, and therefore the seller does not want an exclusivity period. If our buyer is successful in its bid for an exclusivity period, this will typically bind to the parties. The seller will need to stop courting other potential buyers during the exclusivity period.

Confidentiality. Another term that is typically binding, if included, is the confidentiality of the term sheet, its terms, and the negotiations between the parties. We all know that a promise to keep something a secret is easily broken. However, the statement that the confidentiality provision is binding will put the parties on notice to keep this deal secret until the parties are ready to announce it. At a minimum, this provision sets up a moral obligation to keep the deal secret.

Fees and expenses. Often a term sheet will include the binding term that each party is responsible for its own fees and costs before closing. Costs can consist of legal, accounting, and investment banking fees and out-of-pocket expenses.

Conduct of the business. The business that is being purchased is not going to be worth much if the seller decides to sleep in every day and not conduct the business as usual. A commonly used binding provision is that “seller will conduct its business in the normal and ordinary course, consistent with prior practices.”

Bifurcate! If your term sheet has binding and non-binding provisions, be sure to be clear which are binding and which are not. Bifurcate the two types of provisions, or set out a provision that states that the term sheet is not binding except for Sections X, Y, and Z.

What other provisions may be in a term sheet?

Type of transaction. Going back to our hypothetical seller and buyer, is the stock or partnership interest being sold? Alternatively, are only the assets being sold? If this is an asset sale, what assets are included, and what is excluded? Be sure the term sheet clearly states what is being sold.

Price and payment terms. Price is one thing that is usually agreed on before the lawyers get involved. However, the payment terms may not have been decided yet. Will the seller get partial payment at closing and then carry a note? If so, what will the terms of the note be? If there is a note, will the buyer provide a personal guaranty? Will there be a holdback for certain contingencies? Or an escrow? How much of the deal consideration will be a risk to secure the representations and warranties? How long will the representations and warranties last? Is there a minimum claim size (a basket), and does it tip? (A tipping basket is a minimum claim threshold that allows the buyer to recover from dollar zero of damages once the minimum has been surpassed; as opposed to a deductible.)

Treatment of outstanding stock options, warrants, and convertible notes. If a corporation is being sold and the company has any of these types of securities outstanding, the parties should address how to treat these for the least disruption to the business.

Key employees. If there are one or more key employees, the buyer will want to be sure that they will stay with the company after the closing. The arrangement may include employment agreements, board seats, or stock options. Similarly, if there is a key employee who will not remain, will a severance payment and a noncompetition/nonsolicitation agreement be part of the deal?

Due diligence. The buyer needs to know what the seller’s business actually consists of. Likewise, the seller needs to know that the buyer has the financial wherewithal to pay. The due diligence provision of a term sheet will typically state that the parties will sign a mutual confidentiality agreement and then disclose “such documents and information as reasonably requested so that each party can perform a full investigation of the other’s business and legal conditions.”

Noncompetition. The buyer may ask the seller to not compete with the buyer after the closing. If the seller is sailing off into retirement, this may not be a point of negotiation. On the other hand, if the seller wants to start a business that is similar – but not directly competing with its current business – the parties may be able to reach agreement on a somewhat narrow definition of noncompetition, either in terms of geography, length of time, or type of business.

How elaborate should the term sheet be? Term sheets do not have to belong, but it is a good idea not to avoid hard issues if addressing them later will be a disadvantage to you. In other words, it depends on whether you are the buyer or the seller. In our hypothetical sale of a business scenario, it would usually benefit the buyer to avoid saying in the term sheet how long the representations and warranties will last, and how long after the closing, the seller may be liable, and for how much. But for the seller, these issues are critical. A seller does not want to put off negotiating these items until later in the deal, typically.

Can the term sheet be deemed to be binding – even if it does not say that it is?

This may be a tough call if either party has partially performed or the term sheet was so heavily negotiated and reads so much like a definitive agreement that the definitive agreement would be a mere formality. We generally recommend that the term sheet be more of an outline of the terms of the deal and not contain sentences such as “All warranties, representations, covenants, and agreements, including indemnities and releases hereunder, made by Seller and Buyer shall be deemed and construed to be continuing warranties, representations, covenants and agreements which shall survive the Closing.”

The problem with a term sheet appearing too much like a definitive agreement is that, if challenged by one of the parties, a court may impose its own interpretation of commercially reasonable terms.

Aside from the terms that should be binding, to ensure that the remainder of your term sheet is non-binding, consider:

• The parties contemplate a later, formal agreement

• Use the term “prospective buyer”

• Make closing subject to financing and satisfactory due diligence

• Avoid the terms “will” and “shall”

• Avoid performance requirements before closing, as performance may give rise to a promissory estoppel claim

This article is not intended to be an exhaustive discourse on the subject of binding and non-binding provisions in a term sheet. Instead, we just want to highlight some things to consider when drafting your term sheets.

Guest post by Teresa Daggett

Venture Capital Office Hours with Voyager Capital

UW students and faculty interested in startups can talk monthly, face-to-face, with a venture capital investor and startup attorney.  Randall Lucas of Voyager Capital and I hold open office hours the first Wednesday of each month at the University of Washington.

Who comes to see us?  A wide range, from skateboard-toting sophomores who have coded up an iPhone app, to senior researchers considering commercializing robotics technology, to rising seniors considering whether to work at a startup and what “stock options” are — all have come by to chat during open office hours.

You can find us at the Information School (Mary Gates Hall, iLounge 4th floor) from 10-11, and then at the Computer Science School (Allen Center, atrium) from 11-12. We do these typically on the first Wednesday of every month, while school is in session.  (If you want to talk during summer vacation, drop us a line and we’ll set something up.)

So, if you’d like to come to see us, we will be there on Wednesday, March 1.  Happy to give you feedback on your startup ideas, guidance on thinking about intellectual property, or suggestions on raising capital — or just to hear what you’re excited about working on.

For more related articles about venture capital, please visit our website, here.

Carney Badley Spellman is about Advocacy, Strategy, Results. Located in Seattle, we are a full-service law firm committed to exceptional client service and professional excellence. Our firm serves individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, closely-held or family businesses, franchises, Fortune 500 corporations, and insurance companies.  They are in the private sector, public sector, and governments.  Our clients are forward thinkers, creative, collaborative, and deliver high-quality products and business services to their markets.  Their markets extend into almost every industry including, food and beverage, retail, professional services, arts, health care, education, manufacturing, technology, construction, real estate, and more.  We advocate for our clients.  We strategize with them to meet their goals.

Dear IRS: Let’s Make the Filing of 83(b) Elections Easier

(This was a longer post but I have abbreviated it to simplify it.)

Right now there is no guidance from the IRS which expressly countenances electronic signatures on 83(b) elections.

This is unfortunate. I would recommend the new administration issue guidance right away which countenances electronic signatures on 83(b) elections to remove any uncertainty about this. This would make life easier for founders, who are already given too short of a period of time to make their 83(b) elections.

If Congress really wanted to get serious about fixing Section 83(b), they could “reverse” the presumption. Meaning, if no tax was due on the issuance of the shares, because the founder paid FMV for the shares–no election would be required to be filed–even if there was vesting on the shares.

It doesn’t make sense, if you pay FMV for the shares, that you should have to file an 83(b) election simply because you have vesting on your shares. But, alas, that is the law as it currently stands.

In summary, here are three ideas for Congress and/or the administration to fix 83(b) elections:

  1. Allow electronic signatures
  2. Extend the 30 days to something a lot more reasonable, like 180 days.
  3. Reverse the presumption.

Washington State Equity Crowdfunding Update

Good news! Senators Fain and Mullet have sponsored SB 5680 in the Washington State Senate. This is the same bill as HB 1593 in the House.

The bill would make important technical improvements to Washington State’s equity crowdfunding law

The highlights of the bill include:

  • Allowing Delaware corporations to use Washington State’s equity crowdfunding law.
  • Bringing the Washington State law into alignment with the federal exemptions now in place (we have a new federal exemption, Rule 147A).
  • Allowing accredited investors to participate in Washington State equity crowdfunding offerings without a limit on the amount of their investment.
  • Repealing the poison pill of having to publicly disclose executive officer and director compensation; instead, disclosure will just be required to shareholders and the DFI.
  • Allows companies to sell “[a]ny type of equity or convertible debt security” under the exemption (this will allow companies to sell convertible debt).

This is a great bill, and should result in companies using Washington State’s equity crowdfunding law.

The public hearing on the Senate bill is currently scheduled for February 9th. Anyone interested in testifying can come down to Olympia and sign up and be heard in support of the bill.

If you want to track the progress of the bill, you can track it here.

Washington State Equity Crowdfunding Update

My colleague Danny Neuman and I testified this morning in support of HB 1593. This bill would improve the Washington State equity crowdfunding law.

The bill is sponsored by Representatives Vick and Kirby.

HB 1593 Would Do a Number of Helpful Things

HB 1593 would do the following:

  • Eliminate the quarterly public disclosure of executive officer and director compensation. Instead, there would be a required annual disclosure to the Company’s shareholders and the DFI.
  • Allow “accredited investors” to invest an unlimited amount in approved crowdfunding offerings.
  • Align the statute with new SEC regulations on Rule 147A offerings. This would allow companies incorporated in Delaware to use the law.
  • The bill would also allow companies to sell convertible debt or “any type of equity.”

The Washington State DFI testified in favor of the bill.

Hopefully this bill moves to passage and signature by the Governor this year. It would be a good series of improvements in the law. HB 1593 will make the law more accessible to companies and more desirable as a fundraising tool.

If you would like to know how to support the bill, email either me or Danny at wallin@carneylaw.com or neuman@carneylaw.com and we can give you some ideas.

Congress: Please Fix 83(b) Elections

Congress is trying to make life easier for early stage and startup companies. This is good.

But so far, nothing has been proposed to fix Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 83(b) haunts every founder who receives shares subject to vesting.

If you are founding an early stage technology company with other founders, you will probably impose vesting on all of the shares issued to the founders. Vesting in this context means the following: if you quit providing services, the company has the right to buy back your “unvested” shares. The purchase price is the lesser of either (i) the FMV of the shares at the time of repurchase, or (ii) the price you paid for them (usually this is not a big number). This lower-of-fmv-or-cost repurchase right lapses over the vesting period, usually 4 years with a cliff of some kind.

Vesting is critical to include in company formation documents. If a 30% founder leaves, your company will essentially be un-fundable if a 30% owner is no longer working at the company.

But the current tax law does not make life easy for founders in this circumstance.

The Current Tax Law

The current tax law requires founders to file an 83(b) within 30 days of receiving their shares or suffer horrible, potentially debilitating tax consequences.

If you file the election, you typically won’t owe any tax as a result of filing. And your filing the form timely means that you won’t owe any tax when your shares vest.

If you don’t file the election, you will owe tax when your shares vest if the shares have gone up in value. The tax you owe will be based on the difference between the fair market value of the shares at the time of vesting over what you paid for them. If you are an employee, you will have to write a check to the company so that the company can send the funds to the IRS to pay the employee’s side of income and employment tax withholding. This can get expensive fast.

The tax code should not be written like it is now. We shouldn’t put founders on a 30 day ticking time bomb whenever they found a company. This is hostile to people founding companies.

Instead, we should reverse the presumption in Section 83(b). What I mean is that an 83(b) election is “deemed filed” if the Founder would not owe any tax as a result of filing it.

This would allow founders to sleep at night, and making forming and starting companies easier. Isn’t that what we want Congress?

I drafted proposed legislation along these lines a few years back. You can find it here.

If you happen to run into legislators or legislative staff working on federal tax issues, please mention this idea to them.

The Financial Choice Act: How to Make it Better re Form D

Congress is preparing a bill known as the Financial CHOICE Act of 2016. There is a lot in the bill (and so it is worth scanning the table of contents for issues you might care about). One of the provisions of the bill, Section 1066, would revise the Form D filing requirements to make them easier on companies in general, including startups.

For the sake of clarity, Section 1066 makes it clear that the SEC is not to condition the availability of the exemption under Rule 506 on the filing of the form. This is good, but it leaves a gap in the law.

Many states require issuers to file the Form D in their state if the company is either resident there or has investors resident there. This means that even if the Congress clarifies that a federal Form D filing is not required, companies will still have to file and file with sometimes a variety of states. Many states impose substantial filings fees (e.g., $525 in Pennsylvania). Other states impose late filing fees (e.g., New Mexico).

Let’s fix 1066 to fix the state problem.

Let’s expressly add to Section 1066 that no state securities law administrator or authority can condition the availability the exemption on the Form D filing as well.

If you know anyone who is working on this bill, please suggest this to them. I am going to try as well.

 

 

 

Recommended Improvements to Washington’s Equity Crowdfunding Law

neuman-no-tie

I testified yesterday before the Washington State House of Representatives Business & Financial Services Committee regarding the state’s Equity Crowdfunding law, and presented a list of recommendations for how to improve the regulations and make the law a more effective fundraising tool.

Raising money is a hard job for startups. It is made harder because there is a lack of angel and venture capital financing in Seattle and around Washington, especially relative to the level top tech talent we have here. I believe Washington’s Equity Crowdfunding law could become an important mechanism to fill this fundraising gap for startups by opening up the investment ecosystem to small investors. If implemented effectively, crowdfunding could be an alternative source of capital that will incentivize entrepreneurs to take risks needed to create successful, local businesses and will become an engine for job growth.

To date, however, there isn’t a single Washington company that has raised money under this law, and only two have even had their application approved by the state’s Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”). By contrast, under Oregon’s equity crowdfunding law, Oregon companies have raised $450,000. While there are some important differences (a maximum rise of $250,000 in Oregon vs. $1M in Washington), Oregon has much fewer onerous regulations. We should push to amend and repeal some of DFI’s regulations. I recommend:

  1. Don’t require public disclosure of executive officer and director compensation. Disclosure to shareholders is sufficient.
  2. Allow for convertible debt or straight debt, including revenue loans. Currently, only equity is allowed. The most common way startups raise their initial funding round is through convertible notes.
  3. Don’t require review and approval by DFI, especially for smaller offerings (i.e., up to $250,000, like Oregon). This could lead to a more flexible two-tiered crowdfunding regulatory scheme with other lighter-weight requirements.
  4. Don’t require escrow, especially for smaller offerings. It’s just another costly barrier.
  5. Allow “accredited investors” to invest an unlimited amount. There’s no reason to cap them at $100,000.
  6. Amend our laws to be harmonized with the SEC’s new regulations, particularly Rule 147A, which allows for crowdfunded offerings to be advertised on the internet and social media so long as securities are only issued to intrastate investors.
  7. Allow online portals to earn a success fee (say 3-5%) upon closing a crowdfunded round without having to be a registered broker-dealer.
  8. Allow entities to invest in crowdfunded offerings.
  9. Allow the law to be used for real estate investments.
  10. Repeal DFI’s rule specifying the preferences that preferred stock must-have. Such preferences are not market.

If these improvements are made, more Washington businesses will be able to get off the ground and prevent entrepreneurs from fleeing to the Bay Area or elsewhere in search of capital. It will also attract other companies to move here as we continue to develop a more robust startup landscape.

The Business & Financial Services Committee seemed genuinely engaged and receptive to making at least some of these improvements during yesterday’s hearing. The DFI also signaled its agreement with us that the law should address debt offerings and that the state should harmonize the rules to fall in line with the SEC’s recent amendments. I am hopeful that the legislature and the DFI will be able to implement these recommended improvements in the near future.

By Daniel Neuman.  I am a corporate and securities lawyer, working primarily with startups and early-stage companies in Seattle.

If you want to read more articles about equity crowdfunding, please visit our website, here.

Carney Badley Spellman is about Advocacy, Strategy, Results. Located in Seattle, we are a full-service law firm committed to exceptional client service and professional excellence. Our firm serves individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, closely-held or family businesses, franchises, Fortune 500 corporations, and insurance companies.  They are in the private sector, public sector, and governments.  Our clients are forward thinkers, creative, collaborative, and deliver high-quality products and business services to their markets.  Their markets extend into almost every industry including, food and beverage, retail, professional services, arts, health care, education, manufacturing, technology, construction, real estate, and more.  We advocate for our clients.  We strategize with them to meet their goals.