MoFo & GSAS Harvard Biotech Club’s new course, “Legal Topics for Scientists, Entrepreneurs, and Start Ups,” started on November 11, with more than 100 life sciences graduate students, post-docs, and industry professionals. The Harvard Biotech Club is a student organization that seeks to bridge the gap between industry and academia. MoFo partners Anita Choi, Andrew Boyd, and Fredo Silva kicked off the course with the first class, “Corporate Due Diligence for Investors and Start-Ups.”
Anushree Gulvady who is participating in the course noted that "the MoFo course comes straight from a team of exceptional lawyers and has been immensely informative & enjoyable. As a scientist, I have benefitted a lot from this deep dive into the fundamentals of IP, including patentability, infringement, and due diligence analyses- all integral to biotech start-ups.”
Andrew Boyd observed that “it was fantastic to see the level of interest and engagement of the students and be able to share some insights on how our global corporate and IP teams work together to identify and solve diligence issues we see on M&A and investment deals.”
Fredo Silva commented that, “until it first happens to them, many companies never really consider the level of scrutiny that comes with the business, technical and legal due diligence in a significant financing raise. By helping prospective entrepreneurs understand how diligence works, we hope they can better operate their business at the early stages to ensure a smooth diligence process later.”
Anita Choi added that “IP due diligence often plays a critical role in technology transactions. But the scope of diligence may vary depending on the deal and circumstances. We appreciate the opportunity to share our insights and thoughts on the diligence process. We draw from our group’s extensive experience in helping investors mitigate potential IP risks in their deals, as well as companies navigating the diligence process to get the investment needed to take their company to the next stage of growth.”
Upcoming sessions will include classes on “Commercial Life Sciences Transactions and Licensing Issues in a COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 World”; “Raising Angel Investment”; “FDA and Compliance Issues with Testing, Vaccines and Therapies”; “Considerations for ANDA and BPCIA Litigation”; and “The PCT Application Process and International Patent Prosecution.”