Life sciences/biotech companies are a significant economic driver in the greater Philadelphia area, with an estimated 1,200 businesses employing nearly 50,000 people in 2017, according to the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Report, 2017. In my experience, there is significant growth within the early stage life sciences sector; most will need to seek capital to grow to an inflection point. Much financing is through angel investors; what used to be a purely venture capital space has opened up to professional angels, primarily through investment groups such as The Keiretsu Forum, the Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels and others.

If you represent early stage life sciences companies entering the capital markets, you may be asked to opine on the financing and business issues they face. Below is a general overview of some of the issues that you will need to understand to provide solid advice.

Legal issues