Womble Bond Dickinson partners with business community to launch new SME service

Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson has partnered with virtual business community Yena to launch new SME support service WBD Accelerate.

Designed to support start-ups and scale-ups navigate common legal issues associated with rapid growth, WBD Accelerate has developed its new platform with the help of Yena to ensure it will meet the needs of businesses.

Led by technology partner Alastair Mitton, WBD Accelerate will provide guidance on topics such as investment options, the ownership and protection of key IP rights, arrangements between shareholders, the collection of data and managing employment considerations.

Alastair explained: “At WBD we’re committed to supporting ambitious local, national and international businesses with smart legal advice and innovative thinking.

“We came across Yena and the fantastic work it does for entrepreneurs when Ash – Yena’s founder – spoke at our International Innovation Week in 2018 and instantly knew this was a business we wanted to work with.”

As a result of the collaboration on WBD Accelerate, the London headquartered law firm has become the official brand partner of Yena, sponsoring the community’s UK and international meetup events as well as offering advice, content and mentoring.

Yena founder, Ash Phillips, commented: “We are incredibly excited to have WBD on board to help support our journey to provide high quality business support to everyone, everywhere.

“It’s been really important for us to take the time to find the right partners and ensure they truly understand us, our mission and the needs of our community. In return, we hope to help them build better businesses by enabling them to access the talent of the future.”