Practice areas
Startup and Venture Capital
Mergers & Acquisitions
Corporate and Securities
Education
Emory University School of Law
(J.D. 2012), graduated with honorsHarding University
(M.B.A. 2011), Leadership and Organizational CommunicationMiddle Tennessee State University
(B.S. 2005), Music Business
Bar admissions
Tennessee
Georgia
Biography
Mark Wilson is a seasoned corporate and securities attorney who serves as a strategic partner to the founders, fund managers, and visionaries building today’s most dynamic emerging platforms. Mark co-leads Riggs Davie’s startup and venture capital group, advising clients across the broader innovation landscape. While industry agnostic, Mark’s practice is heavily focused on the Sports & Entertainment, HealthTech, FinTech, AI, and SaaS sectors, where he helps entrepreneurs and investors architect venture platforms and scale technology-driven ecosystems.
Mark’s practice focuses on the convergence of capital and innovation. He advises sophisticated clients, including private funds, family offices, and serial entrepreneurs, on how to structure, capitalize, and scale their businesses. Mark brings a high-touch, relational approach to his practice. Whether advising a fund manager on portfolio strategy or an entrepreneur on a complex exit, clients view him as an extension of their executive teams.
Mark supports his clients through the full lifecycle of growth:
- Platform Architecture & Corporate Formation: Designing sophisticated legal structures for venture platforms and investment firms, while advising early-stage high-growth companies on entity formation, governance, founder arrangements, and tax-efficient scaling strategies.
- Financing & Capital Formation: Leading debt and equity financings, including SAFE offerings, priced seed rounds, Series A, and other private capital fundraising for both funds and operating companies.
- Strategic Growth & Exit: Navigating strategic partnerships, buy- and sell-side M&A, and exit planning.
Uniquely, Mark bridges the gap between creative industries and corporate rigor. With a music business background and experience as in-house counsel for a Fortune 200 company, he understands the commercial realities of both the entertainment world and regulated tech sectors.
Representative Transactions
Startup and Venture Capital
Represented a $30M venture fund focused on film & media finance, including fund structure, setup and launch, compliance, and portfolio investments in multiple independent films.
Represented technology startup in $8M Series A financing.
Represented AI technology startup in $2M Series Seed financing.
Represented hospitality company in a $50M preferred equity financing.
Represented a financial services company in a $40M debt financing.
Represented a healthcare technology company in $1M seed-stage financing.
Represented numberous high growth startups within the sports and entertainment, healthcare technology, FinTech, and AI sectors in early-stage debt and equity financings, ranging from $250,000 to $5M.
Represented a financial services company in implementing a wide variety of key employee compensation plans, including short-term and long-term bonus plans, change-in-control bonus plans tied to equity value, and profits interests plans.
Represented a digital media company in implementing a change in control bonus plan tied to equity value.
Implemented an incentive units/profits interest plan for a hedge fund and private equity firm.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Closed an equity sale of a faith-based AI company valued at $10M to a strategic buyer in advance of buyer's IPO.
Closed an acquisition of a digital media company and a strategic talent and licensing partnership within the media and entertainment industry valued at approximately $15M (depending on certain post-closing contingent consideration).
Closed an asset sale of a technology business to a publicly traded, strategic buyer valued at up to $6M (depending on post-closing earn-out results).
Closed an equity sale of a field marketing organization within the insurance industry to a private equity firm valued at approximately $13M.
Closed an asset sale of an events production business to a strategic buyer valued at approximately $5M.
Closed the sale of a family-owned business to a strategic buyer for approximately $5.5M.
Closed a strategic joint venture between a pharmaceutical and alternative medicine business and an events management company.