Martin advises financial investors and corporate clients on M&A and private equity transactions as well as growth investments. He also has extensive expertise in advising on the establishment of European Companies (SE), corporate governance issues as well as complex corporate reorganizations.
Martin is ranked by various legal directories as a leading lawyer in Germany with an “impressive track record” in the areas of M&A, private equity / venture capital and corporate law (JUVE, Chambers, Legal500 “Name of the next generation”, Wirtschaftswoche, Leaders League, Handelsblatt “Lawyer of the Year M&A 2023”).
Education and Career
Martin studied law in Marburg, Bologna and Cambridge (UK). Before joining YPOG, Martin was at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP for several years.
Martin regularly publishes on matters of corporate law and is the author of a book on SE law.
Experience
Martin's recent work highlights include advising:
- Sunfire on its € 215 million Series E financing round with LGT Bank, GIC, Lightrock und Planet First Partners
- INKEF Capital on the sale of Cardior to Novo Nordisk for an aggregate purchase price of up to € 1.025 billion
- ZenJob on its conversion into a European Company (SE)
- Delivery Hero on the acquisition of Glovo, one of the leading delivery platforms in Europe
- N26 and N26 Bank on their conversions into stock corporations (Aktiengesellschaften)
- Great Hill Partners on the merger of Echobot and Leadfeeder including their € 180m investment
- traceless materials on their € 36.6 million Series A financing round
- SellerX on its € 500m equity/debt financing round with BlackRock and Sofina as well as its € 100m financing round with L Catterton
- momox on the formation of two European Companies (SE) and the carve-out of its logistics business unit
- Delivery Hero as lead investor on the $1bn series C financing of Gorillas as well as on the sale of foodpanda Germany to Gorillas
- Boehringer Ingelheim on various VC and M&A transactions
- Shareholders of Fit Analytics on the sale to Snap Inc.
- Capvis portfolio company BSI Software on the acquisition of Snapview and inSign
- Unite group (Mercateo) on the formation of two European Companies (SE)
- Recker Holding on the sale of Like Meat to The Livekindly Company
- Project A Ventures on numerous PE co-investments (with 3i, Capvis, Bregal etc.) and VC investments (in sennder, Yoummday etc.)
- Singapore-based Next Gen Foods (TiNDLE) on various equity and debt financing rounds
- Shareholders of Flightright on the sale to Intermedia (Medien Union)
Qualifications
- German qualified attorney (Rechtsanwalt)
- Ph.D. in law (Dr. iur.) (Marburg University)
- LL.M. (University of Cambridge, UK)
Languages
- German
- English
- Contractual Arrangements in Venture Capital,
ZGR 2024, pp. 509–534 [in German] - Growth financing in 2023 – New market trends and best practices,
VC Magazine 2023, pp. 10–11 [in German] - Multiseller Transactions – Part 2: The sellers' agreement,
GmbHR 2019, pp. 1334-1343 (together with Benjamin Ullrich) [in German] - Multiseller Transactions – Part 1: The liability regime,
GmbHR 2019, pp. 625–633 (together with Benjamin Ullrich) [in German] - Equity requirements in the conversion of a limited liability company into a stock corporation,
AG 2019, pp. 69–74 [in German] - Composition of the supervisory board of an SE according to the legally required target status,
case note on Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Frankfurt/M. case no. 21 W 29/18, EWiR 2018, pp. 615–616 [in German] - Corporate communications and confidentiality in the European Stock Corporation (SE) compared to the AG,
AG 2018, pp. 356–364 [in German] - The European Stock Corporation (SE) – Formation and governance options,
Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden, 2018, 66 pages [in German] - Treasury shares and the conversion by way of a change of legal form,
ZGR 2018, pp. 126–148 [in German] - Distribution of powers and liability regarding structural measures in German stock corporations (Aktiengesellschaften – AGs) and corporate groups,
(together with Annedore Streyl), ZIP 2017, pp.410–417 [in German] - Cross-border change of legal form of a French S.à r.l. into a German GmbH,
case note on Higher Regional Court (Kammergericht) of Berlin case no. 22 W 64/15 (together with Malte Vollertsen), EWiR 2017, pp. 109–110 [in German] - Share certificates in practice – issuance, transfer, exchange, and declaration of invalidity,
AG 2016, pp. 889–895 [in German] - Change of legal form in the context of companies undergoing growth,
VC Magazine 2015, pp. 40–41 [in German] - Performance or non-performance – Enforceability of contractual claims in case of opposing foreign embargo regulations,
(together with Hans-Joachim Prieß), Festschrift für [Commemorative publication in honor of] Dr. Arnold Wallraff, 2015, Ehlers/Wolffgang (eds.), pp. 267–288 [in German] - Cross-border change of legal form and transfer of seat: implementation of the 'VALE' decision of the European Court of Justice,
(ECJ), ZIP 2014, pp. 810–817 [in German] - Russian roulette: scope and limitations of cessation clauses in articles of association,
DB 2014, pp. 821–824 [in German] - Agreement on illegal earnings II,
case note on Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht – OLG) of Schleswig case no. 1 U 24/13 (together with Fabian Hentschel), EWiR 2014, pp. 47–48 [in German] - Hybrid Legal Forms at the Gates – The Transition from Combined Legal Forms to Hybrid Corporations and its Consequences for Creditor Protection,
ECFR 2013, pp. 75–112 – (in English) - Cross-border combination of legal forms of companies and the principle of freedom of establishment – liability for delays in filing for insolvency; prohibition of disbursement; and the rules on maintenance of capital regarding Ltd. & Co. KGs,
(together with Lars Klöhn), ZIP 2013, pp. 49–56 [in German] - Agreement on illegal earnings I,
case note on Germany's Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – BGH) case no. VII ZR 6/13 (together with Fabian Hentschel), LMK 2013, 352368 [in German] - Reverse direct liability in the context of the German unincorporated civil-law association (Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts – GbR),
case note on Federal Court of Justice case no. II ZR 150/12 (together with Melanie Knoch), LMK 2014, 357052 [in German] - Selection and combination of legal forms of companies against the background of institutional competition – combined and hybrid legal forms in the context of the competition between European and US corporate laws,
Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, 2012, 375 pages; reviewed by Wolfgang Kerber, ORDO (The Ordo Yearbook of Economic and Social Order) 2013, pp. 519–523 [in German] - Taxation of unrealized increases in value in the context of cross-border transfers of seat,
case note on European Court of Justice case no. C 371/19 (National Grid), EWiR 2012, pp. 505–506 [in German] - The treatment of non-EU-member-country choice-of-jurisdiction clauses before European courts – de lege lata and de lege ferenda,
(together with Carl-Philipp Eberlein), RIW 2012, pp. 43–49 [in German] - Revocation of an accession to a closed-end real-estate fund,
case note on European Court of Justice case no. C 215/08 (Friz) (together with Lars Klöhn), WuB I G 5 Immobilienanlagen 5.10 [in German] - International jurisdiction pursuant to Art. 22 No. 2 of the recast Brussels I Regulation and arbitrability of disputes regarding deficiencies in shareholders' resolutions – Implications for the European competition between corporate laws,
IPRax 2010, pp. 513–520 [in German] - Arbitrability of disputes regarding deficiencies in shareholders' resolutions: The new 'Supplementary rules for corporate-law disputes' of the German Institution for Arbitration (Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit – DIS),
(together with Kirstin Schwedt and Anna-Julka Lilja), NZG 2009, pp. 1281–1285 [in German] - Dual management-board mandates,
case note on Federal Court of Justice case no. II ZR 170/07 (together with Lars Klöhn), LMK 2009, 287721 [in German] - Italian law of conflicts regarding companies,
Jahrbuch für Italienisches Recht [Yearbook for Italian Law] 2008, vol. 21, Jayme/Mansel/Pfeiffer (eds.), pp. 135–154 [in German]
Direct message to Dr. Martin Schaper