James is a corporate lawyer with over 25 years of experience in private equity (PE), venture capital (VC), and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). He has represented corporates, management teams, and institutional clients, including PE houses and VCs, across a wide range of transactions, from smaller deals to large-scale transactions. His focus is now supporting earlier stage businesses as they look to scale up domestically and internationally – often assisting with their fundraising plans and securing capital, using his investor network both in the UK and overseas.
James’ practice includes domestic and cross-border M&A technology transactions, often advising US acquirers of UK shares and assets. Additionally, he has extensive experience in corporate restructurings and reorganisations and has worked on numerous venture capital funding rounds, both on the company side and investor side, including private angel investors, family offices and venture capital firms.
Over the years, James has played a key role in a variety of technology industry events and organisations, including BITC, Digital Boost, and Global Tech Advocates & Tech London Advocates (James is on the Advisory Board for both).
Relevant experience:
VC deals / company side
- Advising Improvability AI, a generative AI platform for sustainability and climate big data analytics, on their fundraise and expansion into the US through a “share flip.”
- Advising virtual production solutions and image robotics company Mo-Sys on a strategic investment by LG Electronics.
- Advising a leading IVF life sciences US company on their $20m funding round.
- Advising Appear Here, an online marketplace for retail space, on an investment into the company.
- Advising Edgify AI, a product recognition and loss prevention solution business, in relation to their growth funding round.
- Advising Slip Technology on several funding rounds
Larger corporates / M&A
- Advising US acquirer Assurant Inc., a Connected World provider adopting a sustainable supply chain model, on the acquisition of UK-leading tech repair brand iSmash.
- Advising a travel brands company on the acquisition of a travel business.
- Advising Wenzels, the bakery business, on a restructuring and reorganisation.
VC / institutional
- Advising AP Ventures on its Series A funding of Immaterial Ltd, a Cambridge University spinout focused on decarbonisation and green energy, with its advanced materials and patented systems design for carbon capture from point source and efficient, low-cost innovative hydrogen storage. The investment round included a number of secondary acquisitions.
- Advising three separate individual angel investors in relation to various funding rounds (total $10 million) into WatchHouse Coffee Holdings Limited.
- Advising Forward Partners on their investment into ALT Limited.
- Advising the management team of a UK property management software business on a sale to private equity.
- Advising AP Ventures on their investment into Airhive Limited.
