Ferdinand advises corporates, financial investors and start-ups on M&A and venture capital transactions as well as all matters of corporate law. His practice focuses on transaction and corporate law advice to, or in connection with investments in, growth-oriented companies in the areas of DefenseTech, FinTech and DLT. Additionally, he is experienced in advising investors and corporates in all situations of financial distress including insolvencies and distressed M&A transactions.
Ferdinand has been recognized in the “Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch” ranking by Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers® for his work in venture capital law.
Education and Career
Ferdinand studied law in Heidelberg and Munich and received his doctorate from the University of Hamburg. His legal clerkship at Hamburg's Higher Regional Court included stations at the consulting company Bain & Company and the German Chamber of Commerce in London. Before joining YPOG, Ferdinand worked for several years as an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Hamburg with a focus on restructuring & insolvency.
Experience
Ferdinand’s recent work highlights include (partly as part of his previous work for a major international law firm) advising:
- Project A Ventures, 42CAP, Signals VC, True and other venture capital funds on various investments
- DefenseTech startup Quantum-Systems on its EUR 180 million financing round
- DefenseTech startup ARX Robotics on its Series A financing round
- DefenseTech startup Alpine Eagle on all financing rounds
- Shopping community provider Pepper.com (mydealz, hotukdeals) on its merger with Global Savings Group
- Web3 Startup LI.FI on its USD 17.5m Series A financing round
- B2B plattform Wonnda on its Pre Seed financing round
- web3 startup Otterspace on its USD 3.7m Pre Seed financing round
- quantum computing startup Kipu Quantum on its EUR 3m financing round
- Startup Ninetailed on its EUR 5m financing round
- FinTech startup Pile.Capital on its EUR 2.8m Pre Seed financing round
- An international private equity fund on the refinancing of a real estate portfolio group
- A retailer on a refinancing and going concern issues
- A global consumer goods manufacturer in several cross-border disputes in connection with the insolvency of one of its customers
* not a shareholder of YPOG GmbH & Co. KG
Qualifications
- German qualified attorney (Rechtsanwalt)
- Ph.D. in law (Dr. iur.) (University of Hamburg)
Languages
- German
- English
- Report on the Handelsblatt Annual Conference ("Restructuring International - Has (Continental) Europe caught up?"),
INDat Report 06/2021, pp. 50 ff. - The liability of a limited liability company and its managing director in debtor-in-possession proceedings, KTS Schriften zum Insolvenzrecht,
Volume 51 (2016), pp. 206 - On the claim-reducing consideration of inflows to the insolvency estate in the context of a liability pursuant to section 64 GmbHG,
KTS 76 (2015), pp. 143-164
