(VANCOUVER, B.C.) August 19, 2005 – Venture Pipeline, a business subsidiary of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, is the winner of a prestigious Innovactions Award from the College of Law Practice Management (CoLPM), the law firm has announced.
The award, in the Market Disruptors category, recognizes “those who have displayed the best innovation in the creation of an entirely new revenue stream or market development.”
CoLPM searches annually for law firms, lawyers, and others who are engaged today in extraordinary efforts to deliver innovative legal services. Eligible firms are not just from the U.S. or North America but anywhere in the world.
“Venture Pipeline is a unique ‘value-add’ for both early stage companies and the venture capitalists that seek to fund them,” said Terry O’Malley, Co-Managing Partner US of DLA Piper. He continued, “DLA Piper is the only major law firm with a discrete business subsidiary designed to leverage the experience within the firm to help early-stage companies raise smart capital. Venture Pipeline allows us to precisely match opportunity and funding source.”
“This recognition from the College of Law Practice Management means a great deal to us,” said Mike Krenn, Managing Director of the Venture Pipeline. “No other law firm has anything like the Venture Pipeline. Its existence and its success are a tribute to the leadership of DLA Piper. They had the vision, the courage, and the entrepreneurial spirit to act like the entrepreneurs they represent. And that’s pretty unique for a large law firm.”
Krenn continued, “When we created the Venture Pipeline, there was no business model. Since then, we’ve helped more than 20 companies raise capital. The program is a resounding success, and we think it’s the model in the industry for connecting high-tech startups with capital. And on top of that, we’re helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams, and that’s a pretty fantastic feeling.”
The Venture Pipeline is a business unit of DLA Piper focusing specifically on enhancing the funding prospects of early-stage ventures. Led by non-lawyers with experience in technology, start-ups, and capital markets, the Pipeline works to connect start-ups with targeted funding sources by leveraging DLA Piper’s extensive, global network of angel, venture, institutional and strategic investors. Venture Pipeline clients also work with DLA Piper attorneys to help them achieve their business goals.
The College of Law Practice Management was formed in 1994 to honor distinguished law practice management professionals, to set standards of achievement for others in the profession, and to fund and assist projects that enhance the highest quality of law practice management. Its mission is “to recognize, inspire, and promote excellence in law practice management by identifying and honoring extraordinary achievement, supporting activities that enhance the development of knowledge, facilitating information exchange among the Fellows, and acting as a catalyst for positive change within the legal profession.” To date, 191 practitioners from ten countries have been inducted as Fellows of the College.
The Innovactions Awards will be given during CoLPM’s annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 10.
About DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP is a business law firm of 1,400 lawyers in offices throughout the US, whose core practices are real estate, corporate and securities, litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Worldwide, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has 2,900 lawyers in 53 offices in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and Asia, offering leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, and technology, media and communications. More information about DLA Piper is available at www.dlapiper.com.
