Frederick V Bryant
Partner
Von Bryant is passionate about working with clients to solve business problems and obtain optimal outcomes, focusing his practice on helping companies achieve success in business with a strategic and pragmatic approachSM. He is a partner in the firm’s Transactions, Private Equity, Venture Capital and Fund Formation & Investment Management Practices, as well as the Sports & Entertainment Industry Team.
Von’s practice is concentrated on the representation of investors, start-up companies, and mature businesses, and focuses on venture capital financings and private equity transactions, M&A and investment fund formation. His broad corporate practice also includes regularly counseling clients on technology licensing, commercial agreements, corporate governance matters and general business counseling.
Representative Experience
Venture Capital and Growth Equity
Investors
- Represented numerous venture capital and growth equity investors in making strategic investments in technology, healthcare, clean energy and other innovative businesses.
- Represented bio-tech focused investment fund in a series of portfolio investments into biomedical startup companies.
- Represented Fortune 500 health care company in a series of behavioral health platform and related technology investments.
- Represented health care focused venture capital fund on numerous preferred equity investments and several PIPE transactions.
- Represented numerous high-net-worth individuals and family offices in early stage investments.
Companies
- Represented emerging growth companies in the structuring and receipt of institutional investment.
- Represented consumer goods company in its pitch on ABC’s Shark Tank and related investments.
- Represented companies receiving investment from Y Combinator, TechStars, NASA, TEDCO (Maryland Entrepreneur Fund) and other accelerators.
- Represented companies in AI, cyber-security, health-tech, Fintech, Edtech, solar energy, nanotechnology, biotech, software, cannabis, and food and beverage industries for over a decade.
- Represented space technology company in US$110m Series B Preferred Stock offering to strategic public company investors in cross-border transaction.
- Frequently negotiate and structure convertible notes, SAFEs, seed equity, preferred equity, private placements and other start-up company offerings.
Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures
- Represented Tier 1 automotive supplier in an US$800m strategic cross-border acquisition of electrified mobility company.
- Represented Fortune 500 healthcare company in US$117m strategic acquisition and joint venture with behavioral health business.
- Advised a cybersecurity software and professional services firm, from formation through its receipt of a US$55m strategic growth investment from a growth equity firm partnering with software and technology-enabled services companies.
- Represented digital health platform business in US$200m sale to publicly traded health insurance company.
- Represented plastics manufacturing company in US$100m sale to private equity buyer.
- Represented public companies on multiple “spin-off” and “carve-out” auction transactions in excess of US$1bn.
Investment Management and Fund Formation
- Formed impact investment fund focused on accelerating women and minority-owned businesses.
- Formed venture capital fund focused on investing in early-stage technology companies in Africa.
- Formed investment fund focused on agricultural development and farm production.
- Represented early-stage venture capital firm investing in tech driven companies led by underrepresented founders.
- Work with early-stage investment group focused on investments in arts and media developed by BIPOC creators.
Awards and Recognition
- Selected as Foley’s 2020 Fellow on the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
- Named to The National Black Lawyers – “Top 40 Under 40” for Washington, D.C., a professional honorary organization where the invitation is extended exclusively to lawyers who excel in their areas of practice
- Named to the Lawyers of Color “Hot List” for the Eastern Region, which recognizes early-to mid-career minority attorneys excelling in the legal profession
Affiliations
- Boston Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Coordinator and lead supervisory attorney to Georgetown University Law Center’s Entrepreneurship Practicum – a pro bono effort that provides business counsel and legal advice to startups with a positive social impact and/or for entrepreneurs from underserved communities
- Volunteer advisor for the Georgetown Venture Lab – Startup Hoyas
Publications and Presentations
- Presenter to Canadian Technology Accelerator for AgTech, ClimateTech and Digital Health cohorts (August – October 2022)
- Panelist for Renaissance Venture Capital’s DEI UnDemo Day®, an event advising and showcasing venture capital investors from around the country and designed exclusively to attract national venture capital to diverse founders (April, 2022)
- Presenter at National Bar Association’s 96th Annual Conference and Convention, “M&A Primer and Bootcamp” (July 24, 2021)
- Presenter at 1863 Ventures Pipeline Program for accelerating women and minority-owned businesses (November 1, 2019)
- Panelist, “Early Stage Fundraising for Life Science Emerging Companies,” Maryland Tech Council (June 27, 2019)
- Co-moderator, “Best Practices in Director Recruitment and Onboarding,” National Directors Institute, Chicago, IL (October 2018)
- Presenter, “Ten Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make…and How to Avoid Them,” WeDC Fest, Washington, D.C. (September 26-28, 2018)
- Co-author, “Private Equity Industry Practice Guide,” Lexis Practice Advisor® (July 2017)
- Quoted, “Are There Some Legal Tasks Technology Can’t Replace?,” Washington Lawyer Magazine (December 2016)
- Presenter, NASA Supported Space Race Challenge program, The Center for Advanced Innovation (August 1, 2016)
- Presenter, “Legal Considerations for Startup Entrepreneurs,” Founders Institute (June 13, 2016)
- Author, “Pitch Perfect: Eight Insights for Effective Start-Up Company Pitch Deck,” The National Law Review (March 29, 2016)
- Panelist, “A View From the Inside: Lawyers in Finance,” Georgetown Law Center Symposium on Corporate Law (February 29, 2016)
- Speaker, “What VCs are Looking for from Start-up Companies,” The University of Chicago, Careers in Entrepreneurship Program (April 22, 2015)
- Panelist, “Reduce Your Risk,” Greater Boston Startup Culture Meetup Group (April 1, 2014)
- Panelist, “(How to Avoid) Mistakes that Lawyers Make,” Boston Bar Association (December 17, 2012)
- Speaker, “Strategies for Success,” Boston Bar Association (July 10, 2012)
Foley Advises Apricus Generation in Series A Funding to Build Distributed Solar, Battery Development Platform
Foley & Lardner LLP represented Apricus Generation, Inc. in its initial $28 million Series A funding round, with a total offering of $100 million in process to close over the next few months.
Foley Advises Mitsubishi Corporation on Strategic Partnership with Elemental Holding for Platinum Group Metals Recycling
Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Mitsubishi Corporation on its strategic partnership with Elemental Holding SA for platinum group metals recycling.
Foley Serves as Legal Adviser to knownwell in $20M Series A Funding
Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal adviser to knownwell, an in-person and virtual weight-inclusive primary care and metabolic health company, in its $20 million Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz Bio + Health with participation from existing investors, including Flare Capital Partners.
11th Circuit Court of Appeals Granted AAER’s Preliminary Injunction against Fearless Fund
Foley Represents Square Robot in $5M Growth Equity Funding
Foley & Lardner LLP represented Square Robot, Inc., an autonomous robotic technology company developing next generation storage tank solutions, in its receipt of $5 million in growth equity funding.
Von Bryant Comments on American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund
Foley & Lardner LLP partner Von Bryant is quoted in the NPR article, “A federal appeals court blocks a grant program for Black female entrepreneurs,” commenting on the legal questions raised over the use of diversity programs in the corporate world in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund.