Matt Lyons is a partner in the Emerging Growth practice and Head of the Austin office.

He represents public and private companies, venture and private equity funds, emerging growth companies, and entrepreneurs in public and private offerings, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and issues related to business formation, operation, executive compensation and corporate governance.

Public Offerings

• Represented a data storage solutions company in a PIPE offering
• Represented a power technology company in its $14 million PIPE offering
• Represented the underwriters in a public offering by an independent oil and gas exploration, development and production company
• Represented the underwriters in a $143 million public offering by an emerging oil and gas exploration and production company
• Represented a storage battery manufacturing company in its $24 million public offering
• Represented the placement agent in a $25.7 million PIPE offering by an international offshore drilling contractor

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Represented a private equity backed technology company in spin-off of division
• Represented a medical device company in its $130 million sale to a publicly traded company
• Represented a healthcare technology company in its sale to a private equity backed software company
• Represented a scholarship management platform in its $50 million acquisition by a provider of cloud software solutions to nonprofits
• Represented a big data infrastructure provider in its cash acquisition by an information technology services and solutions company
• Represented a publicly traded marketing services company in the sale of certain assets to a global private investment firm
• Represented a power amplifier developer in its sale to a Singapore-based semiconductor and components company

Equity Financings

• Represented a strategic technology investor in numerous financings in early stage companies
• Represented a SaaS platform in its equity financings
• Represented a developer of a robotic coffee system in several rounds of equity financing
• Represented a large format, grid-scale battery solutions company in several equity and debt financings
• Represented a wearable technology company in its equity financings
• Represented a venture capital fund in its equity investment in a mass communication software platform
• Represented a venture capital and private equity firm in investing in numerous special situations, growth equity, recapitalizations and secondary direct investments
• Represented a medical device company in its equity financings
• Represented a specialty biopharmaceutical company in its equity financings
• Represented a healthcare investment firm in a $40 million preferred stock financing in an interventional medical device company
• Represented a cloud services brokerage and management company in its equity financings
• Represented a pharmaceutical company in its equity financings
• Represented an energy technology software company in its equity financings
• Represented an energy services company in the $166 million sale of control to a syndicate through the issuance of a Series A preferred stock and subsequent tender offer to its existing shareholders
• Represented a thermal management solutions company in its equity financings
• Represented a network monitoring and management solutions company in its equity financings
• Represented an organic grocery delivery service in its equity financing

Professional Affiliations

• Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Center for Private Equity Finance, Advisory Board
• The University of Texas Venture Fellows MBA Program
  • Board of Directors (2011-2019)
  • Term Sheet and Business Formation Mock Negotiation Mentor (2003-present)
• Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Advisory Board
• Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow

Awards & Accolades

• Profiled as a Band 1 Technology lawyer in Texas, Chambers & Partners USA:America’s Leading Business Lawyers, (2006-2018)
• The Best Lawyers in America, Securities/Capital Markets Law (2013-2018)
• Profiled as one of the leading Technology lawyers in the United States, The US Legal 500, (2010-2017)
• Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer in Securities & Corporate Finance, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters (published in Texas Monthly) (2017)

Speaking Engagements

• “Your First Financing” and “Your First IPO,” presented at the Association of Corporate Counsel Austin Chapter Business & Law Event (September 20, 2019)
• “Recent Developments in Private Company Mergers and Acquisitions,” presented at The University of Texas School of Law CLE 23rd Annual Technology Law Conference (May 23, 2019)
• “Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made By Entrepreneurs,” presented to The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business Venture Fellows (March 27, 2019, April 12, 2017, April 20, 2016, April 8, 2015, April 2, 2014)
• “Early Stage Financing Options for Technology Companies,” SkiLE Deer Valley, Utah (March 20, 2019)
• “Technology Development and Corporate Venture Investing,” (January 29, 2019)
• “The Legal Art of Fundraising - Bridge, Seed and Series A,” presented to the Austin Technology Incubator (January 25, 2019)
• “The SFO Panel,” moderator of a panel during the Cryptocurrencies Session, The DC Finance New York Blockchain Family Office Conference (November 13, 2018)
• “M&A Today: Clients and Lawyers,” SkiLE Park City, Utah (March 12, 2018)
• “Financing a Startup: Selecting the Investor and Negotiating the Term Sheet - The Entrepreneur's Perspective,” presented to The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business Venture Fellows (November 7, 2018, November 1, 2017, October 26, 2016, November 4, 2015, October 22, 2014)
• “How the Finance Team Can Add Value: The Financial Sponsor’s Perspective,” moderator at the Austin Finance Leadership Summit (October 24, 2017)
• “Forming a US Subsidiary and Certain Texas Legal Considerations,” presented to the Belgian Economic Mission to the United States of America - Texas (December 5, 2016)
•  “Recent Austin M&A: Getting to the Closing Dinner, ” moderator at the Austin Finance Leadership Summit (October 25, 2016)
• “What CEOs Look for in Finance Leaders,” moderator at the Austin Finance Leadership Summit (November 4, 2015)
• “Positioning Your Company for the Smooth and Successful Sale,” SkiLE Deer Valley, Utah (March 16, 2015)
• “Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made By Entrepreneurs,” presented to Cleantech Open, Austin, Texas (August 21, 2014)
• “Financing a Startup: Selecting the Investor and Negotiating the Term Sheet - The Entrepreneur's Perspective,” presented to The University of Texas at Austin, Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs (April 7, 2014)
• “Positioning Your Company for the Smooth and Successful Sale,” SkiLE Deer Valley, Utah (March 11, 2014)