DLA Piper Canada advises startups across key sectors in their continued growth

DLA Piper Canada's Startups, Emerging Companies and ‎Technology group has advised a number of up-‎and-coming companies on transactions intended to assist with their continued growth. In the second half ‎of 2021, the group assisted with the following transactions that span the technology, biotech, life ‎sciences, health, financial services, digital marketing, real estate, construction, cleantech, renewable energy, agricultural, travel and entertainment sectors:‎

				Denis Silva, Morgan McDonald, Maneesha Dakha, Nahal Iranpour, Caroline Yao advised Delic Holdings Inc. in its acquisition of Ketamine Wellness Centers for approximately USD $10m. Delic is a multifaceted psychedelics company and with its acquisition of KWC, expands its existing portfolio of wellness centers providing ketamine treatments across 10 states.
				Denis Silva and Jennifer Arndt advised Draganfly Inc., a ‎drone manufacturer and systems developer, on its Nasdaq listing and a US $20 million ‎public offering with common shares. Draganfly Inc. offers drone solutions, software, and AI systems serving the public safety, ‎agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping, and surveying markets.‎ Find out more about this transaction here.
				Mike Reid assisted eWebinar Labs Inc. in its follow-on private financing, closing September 2021. eWebinar is a platform which provides an automated webinar solution, which combines pre-recorded video with real-time interactions and live chat to deliver an engaging experience for attendees.
				Denis Silva and Ryan Black advised global sports and entertainment company, FansUnite Entertainment ‎Inc., on it’s US$58 million acquisition of American ‎Affiliate LLC. American Affiliate operates a collection of assets dedicated to generating customers for legal sportsbooks, online casinos, online poker sites, and adjacent products in the U.S. market. Find out more here.
				Ryan Black, David Spratley, Morgan McDonald, Becky Rock, and Josh Sved, together with assistance from our Australian counterparts, assisted Gratify Payments Inc. in its founding and the Australian and Canadian launch of its buy-now, pay-later solution for payment services providers.
				Robert Fonn, Morgan McDonald, Kevin Fritz, Maneesha Dakha, Erik Thorsteinsson, and Adam Lee, advised Hydrofarm Holdings Group Inc. in its acquisition of Greenstar Plant Products Inc. for approximately US$83m. Hydrofarm is a leading distributor and manufacturer of hydroponics equipment and supplies for controlled environment agriculture.
				In August, 2021, Ryan Black, David Spratley and Tyson Gratton assisted Isto Inc. in the branding and Early Access launch of its game, Atrio: The Dark Wild, a survival game set in a cyberpunk inspired post-apocalyptic world.
				Ted Maduri, Geoff Mowatt and Grace Latimer advised Lactiga, Inc. on seed financings and the strengthening of their IP portfolio through patent issuances and allowances in the US and Japan.‎ Lactiga, Inc. is an award-winning biotherapeutics company developing anti-infective ‎biologics.
				Advised LEAP Group Holdings Inc. and DivorceMate Software Inc. in LEAP's acquisition of Canadian software companies DivorceMate Software Inc. and MySupportCalculator Ltd. LEAP Legal Software is a multinational legal tech company that provides its market-leading cloud practice and productivity software solutions to law firms in Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. Read more about this transaction here.
				Roy Hudson, Catherine Kay and Matthew Pollock advised Legible Inc. on its reverse takeover of Twenty20 Investments Inc. and listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange as Legible Inc. Legible is a new browser-based eBook reading platform that is revolutionizing how readers, publishers, and authors connect by presenting books the way they were meant to be enjoyed. Read more about these transactions here.
				Mike Reid, Josh Sved and Caroline Yao acted for MintGreen Blockchain Innovation Corp. in its October 2021 Seed 2 round financing, led by Nelson Investments. MintGreen is an innovative cleantech company which uses bitcoin mining to monetize heat generation.
				Mike Reid, Maneesha Dakha and Erik Thorsteinsson acted for Monos Travel Ltd. in its $10 million Series A financing, lead by Venn Growth Partners. Monos produces premium quality luggage and travel accessories direct to consumers
				Ted Maduri and Chris Pejovic acted for Namecheap, the world's second-largest domain registrar in the acquisition of Stencil, a popular graphic design tool. Stencil joined a lineup of innovative products available in the Visual suite, including Site Maker (free website builder), Logo Maker (free logo design), and Card Maker (business card design with free shipping to most countries).
				Mike Reid and Erik Thorsteinsson advised NiceJob Inc. and its founder in its acquisition by Paystone Inc. earlier in 2021- Erik, in 2021. NiceJob is an award-winning North American reputation marketing platform for service businesses, and a key addition to its new fintech parent’s merchant services offerings.
				Mike Reid, Maneesha Dakha and Josh Sved aced for Numinus Wellness Inc. in its acquisition of the Neurology Centre of Toronto. The acquisition is a key step in Numinus’ national clinic expansion, focused on psychedelic medicine.
				Ryan Black and Tyson Gratton assisted Real Sports Inc., a subsidiary of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, in the launch of the Drop Shop NFT platform and marketplace, which included its highly successful Toronto Raptors 6IX Keys Collection that dropped on July 23 on the Raptors Drop Shop.
				Ryan Black and Josh Sved advised Smartt Inc. and its shareholders in its amalgamation with Rent-A-Nerd Computer Services Inc. on January 1, 2022. Smartt is a leading global provider of digital marketing, brand strategy, web development, hosting and connectivity, and with Rent-A-Nerd adds outsourced support and IT servicing.
				Mike Reid and Morgan McDonald acted for Spring IIC Investments No. 3 Ltd. into Moment Energy, and Spring IIC Investments No. 4 Ltd. into Heal Mary, both in July 2021. Each of these SPVs was formed out of Spring Activator’s Impact Investor Challenge, in which a group of investors learn about the world of impact investing, and select a target company to receive a pooled investment through a multi-round pitch competition.
				Trevor Wong-Chor and Stephen Sullivan acted for Tidewater Renewables Ltd., in its acquisition of a confidential target in December 2021, to source feedstock for its low carbon renewable diesel facility in Prince George, British Columbia.
				Ryan Black assisted Pipeworks Studios and its parent, Sumo Group plc, in the launch of its new AAA video game studio Timbre Games, focusing on action-adventure and simulation games for PC and consoles.
				Ted Maduri advised home-to-home food technology platform and community marketplace, Tre’dish Inc. on a $10 million seed funding round as it commercializes and scales operations across the U.S. and Canada. Tre’dish allows individuals the opportunity to monetize their home kitchens and sell home cooked meals to local consumers in their community. Read more about this transaction here.
				Denis Silva, Morgan McDonald, Nahal Iranpour, Maneesha Dakha and Caroline Yao advised VGAN Brands Inc. in its acquisition of The Gourmet Ghetto Ltd. dba NextJen Gluten Free and The Good Flour Corp.’s subsequent listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Company’s mission is to provide a gluten-free, allergen free, hassle-free all-purpose baking flour blend ‎that would allow individuals with gluten and other food allergies to enjoy life without giving up their favorite ‎foods or settling for low-quality alternatives. The Company also provides gluten and allergen free fried ‎chicken batter, fish & chip batter, pizza & pasta mix, tempura batter, pancake and waffle blend, cake mix and ‎pizza crusts.
				Denis Silva and Mike Reid advised Wikileaf Technologies Inc. on the sale of all of Wikileaf’s digital assets including the website domain, www.wikileaf.com to Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. and Hifyre Inc. Wikileaf is an online platform for cannabis enthusiasts and consumers to discover and interact with local dispensaries and cannabis brands.

With lawyers across Canada and globally, DLA Piper is strategically positioned to serve and support ‎‎emerging growth companies wherever they do business. In today's challenging environment, we ‎provide ‎a range of strategic legal services to emerging companies that are designed to ‎‎assist businesses at ‎every stage of their life cycle. ‎We work with many of the world's leading startups and emerging ‎companies, offering strategic advice on corporate transactions, IP protection, ‎commercial contracts, ‎company structuring and ‎formation, regulatory compliance, ‎advocacy and litigation, and employment ‎matters‎.

Visit our Growing your Canadian Business page or DLA Piper's Accelerate site for practical insight and actionable suggestions designed to help you grow your business at every stage of its life cycle.