The impact of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 on venture capital investment will likely be similar to what we saw in the aftermath of the 2008 recession and the 2001 dot-com meltdown. VC investors will redirect their attention away from sourcing new deals and toward managing their existing portfolios, trying to determine which should survive and
Coronavirus
Restoring Incentives of Underwater Stock Options
COVID-19 induced declines in private and public company valuations have left many employee stock options “underwater” or “out-of-the-money”, i.e., exercise prices exceeding fair market value. This is a problem for employees and companies alike. Underwater options no longer serve their retention and incentivization objective, but nevertheless use up finite authorized shares and count against authorized…
No Satisfaction: Absence of Affiliation Rule Waiver Leaves Most Venture-Backed Companies Ineligible for Paycheck Protection Plan Loans
Venture-backed companies did not receive the relief they had hoped for this past Friday, April 3rd, when the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued affiliation rule guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). The guidance largely affirms existing SBA regulations as they previously…
COVID-19 SEC Filing Relief and Disclosure Guidance
Public companies stressing over how to meet filing deadlines during the COVID-19 crisis and what to say about the pandemic’s impact just received a filing reprieve and disclosure guidance from the SEC. The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an order on March 25, 2020 conditionally extending the deadlines for certain public company filings under the…