Understanding the importance and pace of innovation and having a solid understanding of the technical, business and legal implications affecting SME’s and Start-ups looking to innovate is of paramount importance.

SMEs and start-ups are growing and developing at a frenetic pace and this vibrant segment of the economy in many Middle Eastern countries need legal support in order to foster and grow.

But SME’s and Start-ups can find the ever-evolving legal framework difficult to navigate and we recognize that access to good legal services can sometimes be financially prohibitive. This sector of the economy is instrumental to the region’s future growth and we recognize its importance.

In answer to this, we have brought together a team of expert lawyers who see it as their role to be with you on your commercial journey from a start-up position to becoming a mature business entity. Our team will work with you to understand your needs that typically will include advice on your funding requirements to the protection of IP, and day to day corporate and commercial advice. As the leading law firm in the region, we have a vested interest in supporting and ensuring a thriving SME and start-up environment.

Companies are looking for legal consultants who can help them drive their business during their innovation journey.

Innovation involves rethinking or rewiring a business process or redesigning a business product that already exists. It requires encouragement, collaboration, and communication, but it also requires managing change in accordance with the current regulatory framework.

Our lawyers have the in-depth commercial acumen required to enable them to understand our client’s business models and their industrial and commercial sectors. We also understand the regulatory landscape within which our client’s operate. This means that we can proactively advise on the introduction of new innovative solutions and technologies within the business that are compliant with evolving regulatory requirements.

We understand the journey of an emerging company; from conception through to successful financial exit. Our technology specialists have built companies, managed VC firms, and advised on multiple rounds of financing, through to financial exits via IPOs and trade sales. Whether you are a capital efficient B2B SaaS player with amazing organic customer acquisition, a B2C urban mobility platform looking to take on a global giant or a B2B e-commerce player looking to leverage a unique vertical, we will know how your burn rate, team, tech and valuation will evolve over the first few years of your company’s life. This deep insight into what is unique about your company enables us to recommend legal structures for seed, early stage and more advanced venture finance that takes these dynamics into account and anticipates what you and your investors will be looking for as your company evolves. We will also ensure that your IP rights, ESOP, operations and Series C financing all work together for you, your investors and your talent.

We understand the dynamics of how to fund your business in early funding rounds in a way that future-proofs and protects your company against down-rounds, investor and founder misalignment and difficulties you will experience as you build out the next unicorn. We also understand intimately what investors are looking for, how this differs based on the nature of your product, your business model, your go-to-market strategy, and the customer acquisition dynamics of your business.

Al Tamimi & Company is the best placed firm in the region to assist you in navigating the myriad legal challenges that come with multiple free zones, civil laws and tricky corporate structuring choices. As a founder, you need to get visas, to onboard a payment gateway and to secure your intellectual property rights. But you also need to give your shareholders drag rights and liquidation preferences or your employees stock options that vest over time.

We have seen hundreds of start-ups across every vertical and business model – We can anticipate tomorrow’s problems today and help you avoid them.