News and Events

Fundamentals for Financing Your Startup
Build the financial foundation your startup needs to grow.

Raising capital is one of the most exciting and complex milestones in a startup’s journey. Understanding how ownership, valuation, and investment structures work is key to making smart decisions that set your company up for long-term success.

In this session, you’ll learn:
- Ownership 101: Get clear on the difference between common and preferred stock, how ownership shifts during funding rounds, and how to balance the competing goals of founders and investors. We’ll also demystify valuation—what it means, how it’s determined, and why it matters.
- SAFEs and Debt: Explore the pros and cons of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs) and other early financing tools, including debt instruments.
- Selling Stock: Understand what happens when you issue or sell stock, the unique features of preferred stock, and how these terms impact control and returns.
- Positioning for a Successful Fundraise: Learn how to structure your company and tell your story to attract the right investors and close your next round with confidence.

Whether you’re preparing for your first raise or refining your financing strategy, this session will equip you with the essential knowledge to navigate the fundraising landscape with clarity and confidence.

Lunch will be provided.

Please register by April 16 to help us plan appropriately for catering.

About the Speakers

Jay Reilly
Partner, Foley Hoag LLP

Jay Reilly is a seasoned transactional and corporate advisor with deep experience serving clients across the life sciences and high-tech industries. He represents biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies—as well as universities and nonprofits—in complex strategic transactions, licensing and collaboration agreements, venture financing and mergers and acquisitions. His work spans both domestic and international markets.

Jay regularly advises C-suite executives, boards of directors, and general counsels on governance, fiduciary duties, risk mitigation, and enterprise-wide legal strategy. He frequently serves as a trusted senior advisor to leadership teams and as outside general counsel to companies with lean in-house legal departments.

Sarah Nyaeme
Associate, Foley Hoag LLP

Sarah Nyaeme focuses on advising public and private companies on a wide range of corporate matters. Sarah has a broad range of experience within the corporate department which includes facilitating formation and financing of early-stage companies, sale and buy-side mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies, reviewing agreements for clients pursing licensing and strategic alliances, and assisting with general corporate governance matters.

Turning a scientific breakthrough into commercially valuable intellectual property requires more than filing a patent.

This session will walk through how to recognize patentable inventions, key considerations when preparing a patent application, and how early IP decisions shape downstream commercial outcomes.

The discussion will focus on how elements like prior art, enablement, and written description influence both patent strength and business value, and how to assess whether an IP asset is likely to matter in the real world.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Keith Chadwick is currently an independent patent agent registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office and scientific consultant. He has extensive experience working in the field of intellectual property, with a focus on serving clients in the life sciences. Much of his career has been spent in top international law firms, including Wilson Sonsini, Goodwin Procter and Gemini Law, where his practice included patent drafting, global patent prosecution, and IP due diligence for complex transactions. He also leverages his scientific expertise to advise on technical aspects of IP litigation. Prior to pursuing a career in IP, Dr. Chadwick was professor of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University, where his research focused on drug delivery and pharmaceutical manufacturing, while also providing expert consulting services to industrial clients. 

A strong patent portfolio is a strategic asset, not just a collection of filings.

This seminar explores how to align portfolio-building decisions with commercial goals, manage IP assets over time, and think proactively about coverage, scope, and risk.

The session will also touch on when and why in-licensing third-party IP can strengthen a broader portfolio and support long-term value creation.

​About the Speaker:
Dr. Keith Chadwick is currently an independent patent agent registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office and scientific consultant. He has extensive experience working in the field of intellectual property, with a focus on serving clients in the life sciences. Much of his career has been spent in top international law firms, including Wilson Sonsini, Goodwin Procter and Gemini Law, where his practice included patent drafting, global patent prosecution, and IP due diligence for complex transactions. He also leverages his scientific expertise to advise on technical aspects of IP litigation. Prior to pursuing a career in IP, Dr. Chadwick was professor of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University, where his research focused on drug delivery and pharmaceutical manufacturing, while also providing expert consulting services to industrial clients. 

IP due diligence is a critical step in fundraising, partnering, and acquisition discussions.

This session will demystify what IP due diligence actually entails, including patentability and freedom-to-operate analyses, and what investors and partners look for when evaluating IP risk.

Attendees will also learn how to prepare an effective IP data room and anticipate common diligence questions before they arise.

This seminar will be held in person at the Querrey InQbation Lab which is located in downtown Evanston at 1801 Maple Avenue, Suite 1400, Evanston, IL, 60201.

​About the Speaker:
Dr. Keith Chadwick is currently an independent patent agent registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office and scientific consultant. He has extensive experience working in the field of intellectual property, with a focus on serving clients in the life sciences. Much of his career has been spent in top international law firms, including Wilson Sonsini, Goodwin Procter and Gemini Law, where his practice included patent drafting, global patent prosecution, and IP due diligence for complex transactions. He also leverages his scientific expertise to advise on technical aspects of IP litigation. Prior to pursuing a career in IP, Dr. Chadwick was professor of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University, where his research focused on drug delivery and pharmaceutical manufacturing, while also providing expert consulting services to industrial clients. 

Contracting Basics
Protect your company by understanding the contracts that protect you.

Contracts form the backbone of every startup’s relationships—with co-founders, employees, contractors, and investors. Yet too often, founders rely on others to handle the details—only to discover too late what they’ve signed away. This session will help you build the confidence and knowledge to review, negotiate, and manage your own agreements effectively.

You’ll learn:
- Why You Can’t Rely on Others for Your Contracts: Understand common pitfalls and why founders must take ownership of key legal documents.
- Basic Structure and Key Terms: Get familiar with the anatomy of a contract and the language that defines your obligations and protections.
- Securing Intellectual Property Rights: Learn how to ensure your company owns its IP—through the right licenses and assignments from employees, consultants, advisors, board members, and contractors.
- Negotiation Tips: Develop practical skills for approaching contract discussions with clarity and confidence.

Perfect for founders, researchers, and startup team members, this session will demystify the legal essentials that safeguard your company’s interests and future value.

Lunch will be provided.

Please register by June 11 to help us plan appropriately for catering.

About the Speakers

Jay Reilly
Partner, Foley Hoag LLP

Jay Reilly is a seasoned transactional and corporate advisor with deep experience serving clients across the life sciences and high-tech industries. He represents biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies—as well as universities and nonprofits—in complex strategic transactions, licensing and collaboration agreements, venture financing and mergers and acquisitions. His work spans both domestic and international markets.

Jay regularly advises C-suite executives, boards of directors, and general counsels on governance, fiduciary duties, risk mitigation, and enterprise-wide legal strategy. He frequently serves as a trusted senior advisor to leadership teams and as outside general counsel to companies with lean in-house legal departments.

Ben Vaughan, PhD
Associate & Registered Patent Attorney, Foley Hoag LLP

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan is a registered Patent Attorney with a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry. His patent practice focuses on chemical and pharmaceutical inventions, and he has specialized knowledge related to industrial process chemistry and alternative energy technologies.

Patent Strategy Pitfalls
Safeguard your innovation by avoiding the missteps that can cost you.

Patents are a cornerstone of protecting breakthrough technologies and building long‑term value. Yet too often, founders and researchers overlook critical details—missing filing deadlines, disclosing too much too soon, or failing to align IP protection with business goals. This session will help you anticipate and avoid common pitfalls, ensuring your patent strategy strengthens rather than undermines your venture.

You’ll learn:
· Timing Is Everything: Why premature disclosures or delayed filings can jeopardize patent rights.
· Global Considerations: How international differences in patent law affect your protection strategy.
· Ownership & Assignments: Ensuring your institution, company, or investors have clear rights to the IP.
· Strategic Alignment: How to match patent filings with commercialization plans and fundraising milestones.
· Common Mistakes to Avoid: Practical examples of errors that weaken patents or reduce their enforceability.

Perfect for founders, researchers, and startup team members, this session will demystify the patent process and equip you with the foresight to protect your innovations and maximize their impact.

Lunch will be provided.

Please register by September 10 to help us plan appropriately for catering.

About the Speakers

Jay Reilly
Partner, Foley Hoag LLP

Jay Reilly is a seasoned transactional and corporate advisor with deep experience serving clients across the life sciences and high-tech industries. He represents biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies—as well as universities and nonprofits—in complex strategic transactions, licensing and collaboration agreements, venture financing and mergers and acquisitions. His work spans both domestic and international markets.

Jay regularly advises C-suite executives, boards of directors, and general counsels on governance, fiduciary duties, risk mitigation, and enterprise-wide legal strategy. He frequently serves as a trusted senior advisor to leadership teams and as outside general counsel to companies with lean in-house legal departments.

Ben Vaughan, PhD
Associate & Registered Patent Attorney, Foley Hoag LLP

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan is a registered Patent Attorney with a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry. His patent practice focuses on chemical and pharmaceutical inventions, and he has specialized knowledge related to industrial process chemistry and alternative energy technologies.