David Anderson

AG Elevate is a fast-track 10-month programme designed to advance tech businesses in all sectors of the economy through legal challenges that arise as they grow. It has supported more than 30 tech entrepreneurs since it launched in 2017.

Having recently opened in Luxembourg and Ireland, taking AG to 17 international offices, the firm is again extending AG Elevate to all of the markets that it operates in. Previous AG Elevate cohorts have included Scottish businesses BlackArrow Financial Solutions, Trojan Energy, Amiqus, Trace and OBR.

Designed, developed and delivered by AG’s expert lawyers, the flexible programme helps businesses tackle the variety of legal and other challenges they may face when scaling up by providing access to legal advice, legal and business mentors and networks across the globe.

Elvan Hussein, partner and co-programme lead at Addleshaw Goddard, said: “We have emerged from the pandemic into a different environment, with tech integrated in all aspects of our lives and this continues to both offer opportunities for high growth and the chance for tech businesses to play a huge part in rebuilding and growing our economies wherever they are based.

“AG Elevate is tried and tested and we understand what matters most to these businesses, and what challenges they will inevitably face. Our mentors have the specialist sector knowledge to bring tangible added value to the relationships with their Elevate members, beyond their undoubted legal expertise and we can’t wait to meet our new cohort.”

To qualify for consideration for a place on the programme, businesses need to have existing plans for high-growth and have received external funding.

Up to one-third of places on the AG Elevate programme will be ring-fenced for allocation to businesses with a proposition which has a strong focus on sustainability. Over the 10-month programme the chosen businesses will have access to legal mentors, legal advice and industry networks to help them elevate and grow their business.

The package of support includes:

• An assigned legal mentor who will meet with you every month to identify legal challenges you are facing
• 25 hours of free legal advice on any specialist areas, being legal advice on funding, payments, financial regulation and technology
• Access to AG’s legal seminars and networking events
• Access to AG’s legal updates and other publications
• Access to regular insight sessions hosted in collaboration with business mentors in our AG network
• All other legal advice offered by AG will be provided at 30% discount
• Access to AG Elevate’s ‘knowledge hub’ which links members of the cohort with each other and alumni as well as a depository for self-service legal precedents

David Anderson, partner and co-programme lead at Addleshaw Goddard, added: “Our teams are embedded in the ecosystem of the high-growth technology sector and regularly advise businesses and their founders on their strategic objectives. We also understand where technology investors and acquirers are coming from, and this combined experience allows our mentors to help the cohort meet their commercial goals. There is a huge appetite for innovation and disruption across all sectors and we look forward to seeing what the fifth AG Elevate cohort can achieve.”

The programme is open for applications now via the website. Applications will close at the end of May 2022.