Johannes specializes in venture capital and M&A transactions. He advises investors, start-ups, corporate venture capital units and other companies in day-to-day corporate law, financing rounds, acquisitions, joint ventures and exits, including cross-border transactions with share-for-share components. His clients appreciate his negotiation skills as well as his dedicated entrepreneurial thinking.
Johannes was recognised by WirtschaftsWoche as one of three Future Leaders in the Best of Legal Awards 2021. Legal 500 lists him as a recommended lawyer in the M&A segment, JUVE recommends him in the venture capital segment quoting on of his clients “it is great fun to work with him, you can really tell that he has vast experience in the VC segment”.
Education and Career
Johannes studied law in Bonn, Marburg (LL.M. in Life sciences law) and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LL.M.) and received his doctorate from the University of Cologne. Before joining YPOG, Johannes was Junior Partner at Oppenhoff and Associate at DLA Piper. Johannes frequently publishes on matters related to corporate law.
Experience
Johannes‘ recent work highlights include advising:
Corporate Venture Capital units, inter alia,
- REWE on various investments in portfolio companies, inter alia the $42 million financing round in Wingcopter
- Lufthansa Innovation Hub on various investments in portfolio companies
- Altana on the sale of its stake in dp polar to 3D Systems and various investments in portfolio companies
- Katjesgreenfood on on various investments in portfolio companies, inter alia the €36 million financing round of The Rainforest Company and on the investment in mymuesli
- OBI SQUARED on the financing round of clean tech 42Watt
Startups, inter alia,
- SellerX on a $500 million equity- and debt financing
- MILES Mobility on acquisition of WeShare from Volkswagen
- Flixcheck and Alpha Sophia on the Seed financing round
- FORMEL Skin and Mondu on the Series A financing round
- Moss and Cansativa on the Series B financing round
- Consumer Edge on acquisition of German startup Qentnis
- Shareholders of AI-startup AskBrian on exit to think-cell
- Circus on financing rounds as well as acquisition of robotic-startup Aitme
VC-Funds, inter alia,
- Project A Ventures, Ventech, Headline, Join Capital, Breega, EIC Fund and Amplifier on their investments in portfolio companies
- Ventech on the exit of 4Stop to Jumio
- Project A Ventures on exits of portfolio companies, i.a. on the exit of Gabi to Experian (volume: $320 million), Eyeota to Dun & Bradstreet (volume: $165 million) and Klara to ModMed
Qualifications
- German qualified attorney (Rechtsanwalt)
- Dr. iur. (Universität Köln)
- LL.M. (London School of Economics and Political Science)
- LL.M. (University of Marburg, Life sciences law)
Languages
- German
- English
- § 11 German Act on Advertising in the Healthcare Sector (HWG) and Social Media – Influencers as celebrity advertisers?,
PharmR 2021, p. 49 ff. (together with Dr Fee Mäder and Sophie-Christine Hebbinghaus) (in German) - Import of cannabidiol oil from EU member state,
LMuR 2021, p. 21 ff. (in German) - Application of Sections 113, 114 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) to agreements between stock corporations and their contractual partners in which a supervisory board member is holding a share,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2020, p. 105 (together with Dr Peter Etzbach) (in German) - Virtual stock option plans of listed stock corporations,
Europäische Hochschulschriften Recht, Peter Lang, 2020 (in German) - Employee participation in startups – pros and cons of actual and virtual participation,
The LEGAL ®EVOLUTIONary, 6. August 2019 (together with Anna-Catharina von Girsewald) (in German) - Election of the Supervisory Board: Resolution not contestable on grounds of a deviation from GCGC recommendations,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2019, p. 775 (together with Dr Günter Seulen) (in German) - Equal treatment of the shareholders in a capital increase from authorised capital and exclusion of subscription rights,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2019, p. 358 f. (together with Dr Nefail Berjasevic) (in German) - Dismissal of supervisory board members by a court,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2018, p. 2868 f. (together with Dr Günter Seulen) (in German) - No actio pro socio of the limited partner against the third-party manager of a general partner GmbH,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2018, p. 1456 (together with Dr Peter Etzbach) (in German) - Limitation in the articles of association of the limited partner’s right of inspection pursuant to Sec. 166 para. 1 German Commercial Code,
Der Betrieb (DB), 2018, p. 881 (together with Dr Peter Etzbach) (in German) - No contestation in insolvency pursuant to Sec. 135 para. 1 No. 2 German Insolvency Code of withdrawals made by a limited partner from the company’s assets,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2017, p. 1957 (together with Dr Nefail Berjasevic) (in German) - Disbursement within the meaning of Sec. 30 para. 1 German Limited Liability Companies Act in case of a third-party claim against a shareholder secured by the company,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2017, p. 1438 (together with Dr Peter Etzbach) (in German) - The prohibited restitution of contributions by creating a security within the scope of an acquisition of shares,
Der Betrieb (DB) 2017, p. 1133 (together with Dr Peter Etzbach) (in German)
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