Advice for a sustainable future

We have since 2017 been a legal partner at DTU Skylab, an innovation hub for students and researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) who dream of becoming an entrepreneur. It is a pro bono partnership, where we offer legal advice to more than 50 new teams every year. Jakob Svagin, Head of Section, Startups & Partnerships at DTU Skylab, explains:

"At Skylab, our founders have a technical mindset and are largely driven by an interest in technology. It means that they rarely have the knowledge necessary to run a business – being mainly interested in developing solutions. By offering courses and advice through our partners, we therefore seek to prepare them for also running a business, including for handling all the legal challenges to be aware of,” says Jakob.

So technology is the common denominator of the many start-ups at DTU Skylab. And even more important: impact! These are start-ups that offer sustainable solutions to some of the world's biggest problems in the areas of climate, environment and equality. Last year, we entered into a partnership with NIRAS Green Tech Hub, where we also advise impact start-ups.

We tailor our advice to address the typical issues that start-ups are facing: how to draw up a shareholders’ agreement, what to consider in one’s “first major contract”, should new employees be offered co-ownership and on what terms, and what to do if new investors join the company?

Entrepreneurs and start-ups should focus on what they are good at. Our free advice helps start-ups avoid typical pitfalls while optimising their chances of becoming successful businesses with sustainable solutions. Jakob puts into words the importance of legal advice:

"Meeting with a lawyer is a great learning experience for our start-ups. Kromann Reumert and our other partners, including auditors and patent attorneys, help lower the barriers for our start-ups and allow them to embark on their entrepreneurial journey. And he adds: “The advice in the hub is also an investment in Denmark as a country where many people will succeed in setting up a business in the future.”