Service
Capital Raising Legal Services
SAFEs, convertible notes and priced rounds documented properly — with the disclosure position, consents and cap table handled.
Know what you need? Request a fixed-fee quote and upload your documents. Not sure of scope? Book a short call with a senior lawyer instead.
In short
We document private capital raises for Australian companies — SAFEs, convertible notes and priced share rounds — including the disclosure exemption you rely on, shareholder consents, updated shareholders agreement and cap table, and ASIC filings. Scope and fee agreed before we start.
Who we help
- Founders raising a first external round from angels or a syndicate.
- Growth businesses running a priced equity round with a lead investor.
- Companies bridging with SAFEs or convertible notes between rounds.
- Existing shareholders whose rights are affected by a new raise.
- Family and private businesses bringing in a strategic minority investor.
What we do
- Structure and exemption. Confirming the raise fits within the sophisticated, professional or small-scale offering exemptions under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), and what that means for how you can market it.
- Term sheet. Reviewing or drafting it so valuation, liquidation preference, anti-dilution, board seats, reserved matters and information rights are understood before legals begin.
- Investment documents. Subscription agreements, SAFEs, convertible notes, and preference share terms, including class rights in the constitution.
- Corporate approvals. Board and shareholder resolutions, pre-emptive rights waivers, constitutional amendments, share certificates and ASIC notifications.
- Shareholders agreement. Updating or preparing it so control, deadlock, transfer and exit provisions still work post-raise. See what a shareholders agreement covers.
- Cap table and ESOP. Reconciling the register with ASIC, formalising earlier informal promises, and documenting option or phantom share plans properly.
- Investor diligence. Preparing the data room and answering the legal requests that arrive with it.
Before you approach investors
Four items cause most of the delay and cost in a raise: a cap table that does not match ASIC, IP developed by contractors without written assignment, earlier investments or founder arrangements never documented, and equity promised to staff without a plan. Fixing these first is materially cheaper than fixing them while a term sheet sits open.
How it runs
A 15-minute call on the round, the investors and the timeline. We confirm scope and a fixed fee before work starts, then work to your close date alongside your accountant and corporate adviser. You can upload existing documents securely, however incomplete they are.
Why Envision Legal
Commercial lawyers acting for Australian founders and owner-managed businesses, with scope and fees agreed upfront rather than open-ended hourly billing. You work with a senior lawyer directly, and we respond to enquiries within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do we need for a private raise?
Typically a term sheet, a subscription or SAFE/convertible note agreement, board and shareholder resolutions, any pre-emptive rights waivers, an updated shareholders agreement and cap table, and ASIC notification of the share issue. Larger rounds add disclosure materials, warranties and investor information rights.
Do we need a prospectus?
Most private raises are structured to rely on an exemption instead — sophisticated or professional investors, or the small-scale offering limits of 20 investors and $2 million in any 12 months. Which exemption you rely on determines what you can say, to whom, and what evidence you must keep.
SAFE, convertible note or priced round?
Notes and SAFEs defer valuation and are quicker and cheaper, which suits early or bridging rounds. A priced equity round gives certainty on ownership and control but requires agreed valuation and fuller documentation. The right answer depends on your runway, investor expectations and how much dilution you can model.
What usually delays a raise?
Pre-emptive rights that were never waived, a cap table that does not reconcile with ASIC records, undocumented earlier investments or founder promises, ESOP grants made informally, and IP the company cannot prove it owns. Each is faster to fix before investors start diligence.
Can you work with our accountant and corporate adviser?
Yes, and we prefer to. Valuation, tax structuring and investor introductions sit with your accountant or adviser; we handle the documents, the disclosure position and the corporate approvals, and work to their timetable.
Two ways to start
Get a fixed fee before any work starts.
Answer a few short questions, attach your documents if you have them, and a senior lawyer replies with the scope and the price.
Know what you need? Request a fixed-fee quote and upload your documents. Not sure of scope? Book a short call with a senior lawyer instead.
Raising in the next few months?
Tell us about the round and we'll confirm scope and a fixed fee before any work begins.
Know what you need? Request a fixed-fee quote and upload your documents. Not sure of scope? Book a short call with a senior lawyer instead.