Asher Leids

Asher leids
Venture Mentor

Bio

Asher is a Corporate Attorney specializing in venture capital, securities & merger & acquisition transactions. He is also an angel investor with a focus on consumer lifestyle brands, eCommerce, healthcare and technology companies that have a socially responsible aspect in their mission. He has made over 20 investments in startup companies which include the following: Thrive Market, events.com, mogl.con, Connected Signals, Jaanuu, Arsenic, Vow to be Chic, Trufl and Snobar Cocktails. Asher was involved in one of the first e-commerce IPOs, taking Shopping.com public in 1997, and represented a startup that was formed by a number of UCLA computer science majors that received funding from Ron Burkle, the founder of The Yucaipa Companies, and Mike Ovitz, one of the founders of Creative Artists Agency. While that company, Scour.net, eventually didn’t succeed, one of the founders, Travis Kalanick, has gone on to lead Uber Technologies, Inc

Experience

He was a partner at the firm of Donahue, Mesereau & Leids and served as primary outside counsel to private and public companies, representing them in various corporate transactions, including early-stage financings to initial public offerings, public and private securities offerings, public regulatory disclosures, proxy battles, hostile takeover fights and recapitalizations. He advised boards of directors about corporate governance and securities regulation issues. During his legal career, he represented companies and underwriters in a wide range of domestic and international corporate transactions, such as leveraged buyouts, restructurings, and public and private securities offerings, including secured and unsecured Rule 144A note offerings, commercial paper offerings, tender offers, convertible bond offers and proxy fights.

His legal career was abruptly ended in 2001 when, while on his way home after completing the sale of a client to a foreign purchaser, he was rear-ended by a drunk driver who was travelling at over 70 MPH. After numerous spinal surgeries and medical procedures, this led him to angel investing where one focus is to look for new companies and technologies that can help with spinal and nerve injuries and pain management.

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, JD

SUNY Binghamton, BA, Political Science & Management

Skills

Mergers & Acquisitions

Venture Capital

Entrepreneurship