H. Kenneth Merritt, Jr., who led the drafting of Vermont’s Benefit Corporation legislation, was invited by Burlington City Council President Jane Knodell to speak at a forum on alternative business models for Burlington Telecom for its pending sale. Click here to watch the video of the forum to learn more about costs and benefits of different business models in Vermont.
LaunchVT 2017 Pitch Competition
M&M client TheaterEngine was a finalist in LaunchVT’s annual business pitch competition on May 12. Congratulations to Majorwise for taking first place in the final!
Merritt & Merritt Participates in Peak Pitch
M&M once again co-sponsored Peak Pitch, held on March 9th at Sugarbush. Entrepreneurs delivered their “elevator pitch” to investors and sponsors on a chairlift ride up the mountain, and then competed in a “pitch off” in the afternoon. Congrats to M&M Client SchoolHack Solutions, Inc. for winning first place for their learner-centered LiFT software!
Net Zero Vermont has Launched the Sustainable Montpelier 2030 Design Competition
We have had the pleasure of assisting Net Zero Vermont and are proud to see that as of July they launched their Sustainable Montpelier 2030 Design Competition. This is an ‘architectural design competition’ with a $10,000 prize to the winner. As stated on the homepage of their website, Net Zero is hoping to ‘attract top talent to help create a low-carbon, small-city future’.’ We wish Net Zero and their contestants of the 2030 Design Competition the best of luck.
Andrew Grosvenor featured in Union Leader as a Part of “Ask the Expert”
What is a good number of authorized shares? Our Associate, Andrew Grosvenor, can tell you all about it in his article featured in the Union Leader as a part of their Ask the Expert series sponsored by the Union Leader and Alpha Loft.
You can hear more from Andrew on issues regarding business ownership if you attend his lecture at Alpha Loft on Tuesday, September 13th as a part of their Launch Series. Full details of the event are here.
Associate, Andrew Grosvenor, Part of Alpha Loft’s Launch Series
Merritt & Merritt’s Associate, Andrew Grosvenor, is scheduled to present this coming Tuesday, September 13th, at Alpha Loft in Portsmouth, NH as a part of the Loft’s Launch Series.
The Launch Series provides informative presentations on a variety of topics related to startups and early stage growth companies. Presentations are provided by experts in the field. These lectures are a great opportunity to learn from seasoned industry stakeholders and get answers to the great many questions peppering the minds of entrepreneurs.
This month’s focus is on the basics of owning a company, as the Eventbrite page indicates:
Founders are usually so busy developing the business that they don’t give much thought to the company. Corporate details can be dry, but the mechanics of the company are at the center of the relationship among founders, key employees, and investors. This program will cover initial ownership structure, creating a capitalization table, how company ownership evolves in a growing startup, and issuing options and direct equity to employees (and choosing which to issue)
The event includes food and beverage and time to network with others. And, it’s an added bonus that there is no cost to attend. Register here and reserve your spot.
H. Kenneth Merritt, Jr. Spoke at the ACA Summit
Back in May, H. Kenneth Merritt, Jr. spoke at the annual Angel Capital Association (ACA) Summit in Philadelphia. The summit is the world’s premier gathering for angel investors with over 700 investors coming together to share best practices, discuss latest trends, network with top angels, meet with corporate leaders, and more. Ken participated in a panel, Impact Investing 101, which covered key questions, such as: what is impact investing; and how can it fit into your angel portfolio? The panel garnered a little international coverage. Check it out here.
Merritt & Merritt and Directors, H. Kenneth Merritt, Jr. and Sharon J. Merritt, Listed in Chambers USA 2016
Merritt & Merritt is pleased to announce that Merritt & Merritt and its two directors, H. Kenneth Merritt, Jr. (Corporate/Commercial) and Sharon J. Merritt (Intellectual Property) have been listed in this year’s Chambers USA.
Chambers guides are the result of thousands of detailed and comprehensive interviews by the largest international research team of its kind charged to objectively rank the world’s best lawyers and law firms.
For over 27 years, Merritt & Merritt has collaborated with growth companies, as well as the angel, venture capital and private equity investors that support them, to build and guide their businesses.
Why a Vt. law firm chose to expand to Manchester, NH
B Y K E N M E R R I T T
In a hightouch business, one wants to be where the prospective clients are. While Burlington, Vt., has been very good to our law firm for the past 25 years, we believe Manchester, NH, is the best place to have a second home.
As a firm focused on entrepreneurial companies, Merritt & Merritt has assisted numerous companies from startup to liquidity event. Some of the most wellknown Vermont consumer product brands, such as Keurig Green Mountain, and leading companies in the software, technology, biotech and other sectors, have trusted us to help them grow.
We have chosen Manchester as our second home for a variety of reasons:
• Growing vibrancy in the city
• Creative redevelopment of the Millyard for business and residential purposes
• Strong focus on technology with a thriving and growing startup community
• Cultural benefits, such as great restaurants, a strong arts community, sports and entertainment
• Conveniently located near highways, airports, Boston, the beautiful New Hampshire seacoast and its similarly thriving business scene
• ZipRecruiter’s recent rating of greater Manchester as one of the “top 10 up and coming cities for tech jobs.”
Given our firm’s entrepreneurial focus, Merritt & Merritt will begin our expansion within Alpha Loft at 844 Elm Street amongst numerous startup companies that embody the new Manchester.
While Merritt & Merritt has represented many clients outside of Vermont, our focus in New England has historically been the entrepreneurial community centered around Dartmouth, in the Upper Valley and the exploding entrepreneurial community in Boston/Cambridge.
With the increasingly vibrant entrepreneurial environment now centered in southern New Hampshire, it is clear that Manchester is rapidly evolving into the heart of a creative and expanding zone of new business opportunity. Manchester’s attractive qualities just happen to be located right in the middle of the Dartmouth and Boston/Cambridge hubs.
Organizations such as Live Free and Start and the NH High Tech Council are catalysts for growth and valuable resources for startup and high growth companies. Business incubators including the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network as well as Alpha Loft – provide physical space and mentorship at four locations in New Hampshire and entrée into the state’s network of people, places and initiatives that support entrepreneurs. These entities, combined with a high concentration of colleges and universities in the area, comprise the framework necessary to grow out future industries.
What Manchester has done over the past 15 years is impressive. Politico recently called Manchester “a new millennium marvel.” The Politico article makes clear that it took a confluence of creative deployment of assets and strategies, attractive real estate, committed leaders, risktakers, key investments and great geography to put Manchester on the modern entrepreneurial map.
Merritt & Merritt is extremely pleased to make this growing community our second home.
NH OFFICE:
Merritt & Merritt
844 Elm Street
Manchester, NH 03101
t (603) 658-7830
