Taming the Unicorn: Corporate Governance for Companies in the Private Market

Corporate governance treatises are generally written for publicly traded companies and focus on requirements that may not directly apply to privately held companies.  With the recent growth in private capital markets, however, it is increasingly important for privately held companies to be governed well in order to give prospective investors the confidence to purchase securities and to protect officers and directors from potential liability to stockholders.

This course will examine the legal and practical foundations of good corporate governance for privately held companies, particularly younger growth companies, or start-ups, and companies backed by venture capital or private equity investors.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify the principal sources of law and other guidance for private company corporate governance
2. Highlight typical governance issues faced by private companies and help explain why private companies should care about good governance
3. Discuss some of the policies and procedures that companies and boards can adopt to improve governance