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 with a deep focus and expertise within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Mark co-leads Riggs Davie's startup and venture capital group and specializes in partnering with sophisticated entrepreneurs in the HealthTech, FinTech, and other innovation-driven industries. Mark brings a high impact and highly relational approach to his practice. Many of his clients consider him an extension of their teams.
Mark supports companies at all stages of growth as well as their exist strategies. For early stage startups, Mark assists with entity selection and formation, corporate governance and tax structuring, IP protection, equity compensation plans, and negotiating strategic partnerships. Much of his practice is also focused on leading early and late stage companies through debt and equity financings, including pre-seed (e.g., SAFE offerings) and priced seed financing rounds, venture capital fundraising, growth through buy-side M&A, and exit planning and sell-side M&A.
Many of Mark's clients benefit from the expertise he gained as in-house counsel for a large Fortune 200 publicly-traded company. Mark’s unique in-house background also furthers the primary goals of his practice—to be a problem solver first and to approach complex legal problems with a high business acumen.
On a personal note, Mark is passionate about all things creative--writing, playing guitar and piano, and gardening. More than anything else, he's an aspiring "hall-of-fame" husband and father of three.
Representative Transactions
Startup and Venture Capital
Represented high-growth FinTech startup in pre-seed SAFE offering.
Represented AI technology startup in $2M Series Seed offering of preferred equity.
Represented hospitality company in a $50M capital raise through a private offering of preferred equity.
Represented a financial services company in a $200M debt financing.
Represented a financial services company in a $10M debt financing from private investors.
Represented a healthcare technology company in pre-seed and seed financing rounds.
Represented a number of technology startup companies within and outside the technology sector in early-stage rounds of equity and debt raises, including by issuance of convertible notes, SAFEs, and preferred equity.
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 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 an acquisition of a technology consulting firm by a strategic buyer valued at approximately $3M.
Closed a strategic joint venture between a pharmaceutical and alternative medicine business and an events management company.