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Samuel Asher Effron

Member / Co-chair, Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Practice

[email protected]

+1.212.692.6810

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Sam’s practice focuses on venture capital and other private securities transactions, counseling start-ups and emerging growth companies, funds and crowdfunding platforms. Sam is heavily involved in the start-up community in New York and regularly advises and mentors young companies and entrepreneurs regarding the legal and business issues that they face, and speaks at many of the local accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces.

Sam is a co-editor of MintzEdge, an online resource for entrepreneurs that includes useful tools and information for starting and growing a company, and is the co-editor of MintzTech Connect, Mintz’s periodic newsletter on "all things technology" in the legal and business world.

Sam provides counsel to private companies and venture capital funds operating and investing in a diverse range of industries, including biotech, fintech and financial services, media, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, CPG, insuretech and SaaS, among many others. Sam’s pro bono experience includes assisting asylum seekers apply for permanent asylum in the United States, representing not-for-profit clients to obtain federal tax-exempt status and providing legal services to victims of domestic abuse.

Prior to joining Mintz, Sam worked in the film and television industry on productions shot in and around New York City. He later served as a project manager at an online marketing and strategy agency, where he led a team of designers, writers, and programmers to create websites for clients including musician Sting. Subsequent to his agency work, Sam was the third employee of a start-up specializing in liquidation of technology assets for downsizing dot-com companies.

During law school, Sam was a staff member of the Cardozo Law Review and worked as an intern at the legal departments of This Is That Films and DC Comics.

viewpoints

Templum Inc., is a leading innovative financial technology company focused on the development of new market infrastructure for the digital asset sector. Templum Markets LLC, their captive broker-dealer and alternative trading system, offers issuers a platform for the initial sale of their digital assets and provides both issuers and investors a centralized platform for secondary trading.
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Platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter have created celebrities with huge loyal followings – in some cases, millions or even tens of millions of followers – who have never appeared in a Hollywood movie or TV show. These influencers instead generate content – videos, photos, tweets, and the like – on the social media networks, and that content is shaping popular culture among younger consumers and attracting significant advertising dollars.

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While many of the issues involved in various transactions are similar, every single transaction that we get involved in is nuanced and different in some way from other similar transactions. Pattern matching is important, but each successful enterprise is successful in a unique way. Building an enterprise requires a balancing of the economic interests of the various parties. The founders may want to control their destiny or be captains of industry, in addition to making outsized returns. Investors will be laser focused on those returns but may also be interested in promoting activities that involve sustainability or technical breakthroughs. Employees will be hoping for financial rewards but may also want to be involved in cutting-edge technologies and a flexible workplace. Finally, the board of directors needs to monitor the enterprise and provide relevant advisory insights. Getting this right is so much more than processing a form; it requires deep domain knowledge of the industry sector and a good sense of the people involved. It is similar to why the best doctors examine a patient before prescribing medication. Knowing the context of the situation truly matters and one size never fits all.

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Inspired by his own experience forgetting the correct notebook for an important meeting, Rocketbook co-founder Joe Lemay set out to find a modern solution for note taking in 2014. After testing out electronic pens and smart tablets, which were ultimately disappointing, Lemay teamed up with Jake Epstein to develop a new product, a reusable cloud-connected paper notebook called Rocketbook.

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Mintz attorneys are often asked as to why we don’t simply provide “forms” on our website that can be downloaded and used. Our simple answer is: THE FORM IS ALWAYS WRONG!
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In this issue we focus on a number of basics for building growth enterprises. We lead off with a terrific podcast on the importance of assembling a strong board of directors. We follow with an article on a new securities law that permits the aggregation of up to 250 investors in a single investment vehicle so long as the entity has no more than $10 million in capital contributions. This new law will be particularly useful to online platforms that aggregate angel and seed investors to invest in start-ups. We then discuss the importance of stock options and creating a culture of ownership, another basic in creating a valuable company. We conclude this issue with two innovator profiles: BioLabs@NYULangone, a new shared wet lab space located in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, and RainFocus, which provides a software platform for delivering insights and marketing messages at large-scale conferences and events.

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One of the critical keys to a successful venture is aligning the interests of the employees and management with the interests of the shareholders/investors. After all, perhaps the greatest asset of a company is its people. Without a competent and motivated workforce, a venture is unlikely to succeed no matter how great an idea or business concept is involved.
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This edition of TechConnect shows the depth and breadth of our coverage of Tech issues. We have included a podcast interview of Cliff Boro, a long-time friend and serial entrepreneur, who skillfully provides pointers to those seeking out capital from Angels and VCs. We also have two great articles in this issue: the first is about AI from the perspective of our patent professionals; the second is about privacy and how your company’s privacy policies can actually be a competitive advantage. Finally, we highlight Aphelion Path, a consulting shop based in Brooklyn that is helping emerging companies to accelerate growth and succeed.

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Taking a start-up from idea to growth is the crucial step that can cause many founders to stumble and ultimately doom businesses to mediocrity. That’s why former operators at MakerBot, Zazzle, and Autonomous turned advisors to create the Aphelion Path Consulting Group.

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In this edition of MintzTech Connect, we discuss the benefits of a Series LLC; we highlight Simplexity, a wonderful back-office company based in San Diego; and we have included a fascinating article on cryptocurrencies which explains this new asset class that enables decentralized applications. Additionally, we highlight our new series of podcasts called From The Edge, which provides useful information for and about entrepreneurs.

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News & Press

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Law360 covered Mintz's partnership with legal tech provider Clara. The move allows Clara to enter the U.S. market.

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Through its creative partnership with legal tech provider Clara, Mintz provides founders with a cost-efficient way to start a US business. Utilizing Clara’s platform, Mintz created templates that enable users to form Delaware companies and prepare all necessary documents while additionally helping founders to meet all legal requirements.

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My Startup World covered Mintz's collaboration with legal tech provider Clara and quoted Members Dan DeWolf and Sam Effron.

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Mintz advised Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics to treat heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases, in a private investment of up to $300 million from Bain Capital Life Sciences and Bain Capital Private Equity that will enable the Boston-based company to expand its drug discovery programs.
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In an article published by STAT, Mintz Member Samuel Effron was quoted on use among biotechnology and other companies of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 506(c), which was designed to allow entrepreneurs to solicit funding more broadly.
Fourteen Mintz attorneys have been named New York Super Lawyers for 2017 and thirteen have been named New York Rising Stars. New York Super Lawyers recognizes the top lawyers with the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievements.  
Mintz has elevated five attorneys to Members of the firm. “These attorneys consistently demonstrate excellence in the delivery of legal services to the firm’s clients,” said Bob Bodian, Managing Member.
Sam Effron, an emerging companies attorney, authored a post on VC Experts Blog tracking the filings for crowdfunding on Form C made with the SEC since May 2016 when Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) went into effect.
Sixteen Mintz attorneys have been named New York Super Lawyers for 2016 and twelve have been named New York Rising Stars. The list will be published in a special advertising supplement in The New York Times Magazine and in a stand-alone magazine, New York Super Lawyers - Metro Edition.
Daniel DeWolf, Co-chair of Mintz’s Venture Capital & Emerging Companies and Technology Practices, and Associates Sam Effron and Rachel Gholston, authored this VC Experts Blog piece providing a clear overview of the best practices businesses can implement when using electronic signatures.
Sam Effron, a New York-based emerging companies attorney, is quoted in this New York Times article discussing new crowdfunding rules that will allow essentially anyone, not just professional investors, to have a stake in entrepreneurs of their choosing.
Thirteen attorneys from Mintz have been named New York Super Lawyers for 2014 and eleven have been named New York Rising Stars. The list will be published in a special advertising supplement in The New York Times Magazine and in a stand-alone magazine, New York Super Lawyers - Metro Edition.
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Events & Speaking

Speaker
Jul
30
2019

TechGC Roundtable

San Francisco, CA

Speaker
Apr
10
2019

TechGC Roundtable

New York, NY

Speaker
Apr
3
2019

The First Most Important Decision for the Entrepreneur: How to Choose the Right Corporate Entity for Your Startup

BioLabs@NYULangone

BioLabs@NYULangone, 180 Varick St., 6th Floor, New York, NY

Speaker
Mar
27
2019

Lunch and Learn at JLABS @ NYC

JLABS @ NYC, 101 6th Ave, New York, NY

Speaker
Speaker
Mar
15
2018

Legal Clinic

NYC MediaLabs

Moderator
Aug
2
2017

New York Business Clinic: Finance, Funding & Legal

Cleantech Open Northeast

New York, NY

Speaker
Aug
2
2017

New York Business Clinic: Finance, Funding & Legal

Cleantech Open Northeast

New York, NY

Speaker
Mar
17
2017

Corporate Formation Workshop

NYC Media Lab

New York, NY

Panelist
Sep
13
2016
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Recognition & Awards

  • New York Super Lawyers: Rising Star – Securities & Corporate Finance (2011 – 2017)

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Involvement

  • Guest Lecturer, High-Growth Corporate Transactions, Cornell Law School at Cornell Tech
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Samuel Asher Effron

Member / Co-chair, Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Practice

New York