ATTORNEY

Daniel Donhauser

Daniel is an expert in Mergers & Acquisitions and Venture Capital. As a german qualified lawyer, entrepreneur and investor, he advises on strategic entrepreneurial matters and decisions.

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Known for

350+
adviced
Clients
50+
accompanied
Financing rounds
100 Mio.
negotiated
VC & M&A Deals
300 %
achieved
company valuation

Profound Knowledge & Experience

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About

Daniel advises on all aspects of legal structuring and focuses on growth, financing, participation and takeovers of companies. As an attorney Daniel has many years of experience in advising on national and international transactions of investors and start-up companies and advises in the field of venture capital and mergers & acquisitions on all issues related to transactions, the establishment of companies in a strongly growth-oriented environment, as well as shareholder disputes.

In addition, Daniel provides integral support in commercial law & labor law, in particular negotiation,  and settleling disputes in court. By advising both sides, such as employers and employees, founders and investors as well as shareholders and the company, Daniel knows both sides and focuses on holistic sophisticated legal advice and design and finds especially creative and strategic solutions.

After working as legal counsel for a health-tech startup and as a corporate lawyer at a top-level American law firm, he joined one of the largest German law firms as a senior lawyer and handled national and international matters in the field of corporate law and commercial in the Munich office, and built up the venture capital department in Munich.

The particular focus of Daniel as an attorney is to advise on the intersection of corporate law, tax law and employment law, which become relevant in particular in the context of M&A transactions, employee participation, as well as IP transactions and contributions in the context of incorporation and corporate transactions. Due to his experience in advising both sides, as well as being an entrepreneur and advisory board member in plenty start-up companies, Daniel offers a holistic advice and strategy of his clients' matters.

Corporate & Commercial Law
Labor Law | Tax Law


Venture Capital | M&A
Emerging Growth

Tech | Media
Health Care | Life Sciences

Startups
VC & PE Funds
Family Offices
Private Clients

Consultation in English and German.

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Track Record
Selected reference cases and overview of legal activity

I. Corporate Finance: 

1. Accompaniment of more than 50 equity and debt financings involving private investors, business angels, family offices and venture capital funds both on the side of the investors and on the side of the startups with up to 20 million. Extensive experience in drafting complex investment agreements.

2. Negotiation as well as structuring of hybrid forms of financing, such as convertible loans, convertible bonds and mezzanine investments, with optimized results for startups with regard to the originally applied valuation.

II. M&A: 

1. Advice and support for company acquisitions and sales, especially in the industries:

  • Tech- & Media
  • Music & Entertainment
  • Biotechnology
  • Dental
  • Classical Industry

with transaction volumes of up to more than €100 million. Accompaniment and management of legal due diligence reviews, negotiation and drafting of company purchase agreements and supervision of the closing process.

2. Structuring asset deals and intellectual property transfers for software products, (social) media assets and other digital assets.

I. Advice, optimization and support of more than 100 company formations and shareholding transfers as well as all types of shareholder agreements. Extensive experience with cross-border matters and foreign participants such as China, the United Kingdom as well as the USA.

II. structuring and optimization of more than 30 employee stock option programs in all their forms, in particular straight equity options and virtual shares / phantom stock options.

III. monitoring and negotiation of shareholder disputes, both out of court and in court.

IV. Negotiation of extrajudicial and judicial shareholder disputes up to EUR 100 million.

V. Ongoing advice to companies with administration-intensive legal forms on compliance with corporate law requirements, compliance requirements and optimization of liability risks. Advising shareholders and C-levels on all issues of corporate liability, claim defense and claim enforcement.

I. On the employee side:

Extensive experience in dismissal protection proceedings and settlement negotiations with settlement volumes of up to EUR 250,000.

Negotiation structuring and optimization of employment contracts, employee bonuses, employee shareholdings as well as termination agreements in German and English.


II. On the employer's side:

Consulting and strategy in setting up companies with a view to:

  • Prevention of bogus self-employment or in negotiations with the pension insurance company
    Hiring and training of the first employees after the financing round has been completed
  • Managing director employment contracts, appointment and dismissal of managing directors, board members and authorized signatories
  • Employment and social security status of managing partners
  • Strategy and procedure for dealing with intended operational changes of the employer (e.g. staff reductions, site closures, wage cuts, short-time work, etc.)

Strategic advice on how to proceed in the event of intended operational changes such as, in particular, staff reductions, site closures, wage cuts and short-time working.

Negotiation and representation of termination agreements and dismissal protection suits

Drafting and negotiating numerous complex contracts in various areas of commercial law, including general terms and conditions (GTC), service agreements, license agreements, franchise agreements, cooperation and distribution agreements, with a view to growth of the company.

Preparation of data protection declarations and data protection consents

Advising and structuring the contribution of company shares to a subsequently established holding company with share value of 1.2 million euros.


Structuring of call option rights in the buy-out over 120 million euros.

Tax audit of the transfer of intellectual property to a newly founded GmbH.

Structuring of management shareholdings and the inclusion of subsequent co-founders.

Advising on and structuring the contribution of company shares to a subsequently established holding company with a share value of EUR 1.2 million.‍

Structuring call option rights in the buy-out of EUR 120 million.

Tax review of the transfer of intellectual property to a newly established GmbH.‍

Structuring management shareholdings and the inclusion of subsequent co-founders.‍

Daniel Donhauser
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Daniel Donhauser

Arrange Consultation

You can booked a meeting or consultation with Daniel personally directly via the following link. You will discuss your case directly in a video call with him, or discuss essential points of assignment. For general client inquiries, however, please contact our law office directly.

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