YPOG advised the shareholders of Munich-based trail GmbH on the sale of the company to Collibra. With the acquisition, Collibra is adding trail’s agent-powered automation capabilities to its solutions for governing data, models, applications and AI agents.
trail was founded in 2023 by Anna Spitznagel, Nikolaus Pinger and Sven Hölzel. Its technology can analyze the context of an AI system, determine relevant requirements and controls, assess their implementation and effectiveness, identify gaps and automate governance workflows. When underlying evidence changes, assessments can be triggered again. This allows governance and compliance assessments to be continuously updated rather than conducted only at individual points in time.
In addition, trail’s runtime capabilities enable Collibra policies to be enforced directly where AI agents are deployed. Actions that violate these policies can thereby be blocked before they are executed. The combination is intended to help organizations operationalize AI requirements throughout the AI lifecycle.
“The acquisition of trail by Collibra brings together complementary capabilities in AI governance. YPOG is pleased to have advised trail’s shareholders on this transaction”, says Dr. Johannes Janning, Partner at YPOG.
Team
Dr. Johannes Janning (Transactions), Partner, Cologne
Dr. Tim Walter (Transactions), Senior Associate, Cologne
Jörg Schrade (Tax), Partner, Munich
Dr. Antonia Scheinbacher (Tax), Associated Partner, Munich
Dr. Jacob Schreiber (Tax), Senior Associate, Munich
Dr. Benedikt Flöter (IP/IT/Data Protection), Partner, Berlin
Charlotte Petrasch (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associate, Berlin
Janic Kaba Salcedas (Transactions, Corporate), Associate, Cologne
Laura Franke (Transactions), Senior Project Lawyer, Cologne
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YPOG stands for You + Partners of Gamechangers. As a leading law and tax firm, YPOG supports founders, investors, companies and funds in Germany and internationally in bringing visionary ideas to life in the tech ecosystem and dynamic future markets.
YPOG advises on the structuring of venture capital and private equity funds, financing rounds and complex transactions, as well as on regulatory and tax matters relating to digital assets and financial innovation. As a strategic partner, YPOG develops practical solutions of the highest legal standard.
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