William Swiggart
Founder of Beacon Angels
William Swiggart
Founder of Beacon Angels
Boston, Massachusetts
Overview
Work Experience
Founder/Manager
2006 - Current
Founded in February of 2006, Beacon Angels, a Boston-based angel group, celebrated its first significant exit in the sale of SmartCells to Merck in December 2010. Members conduct due diligence and invest in New England based, early stage companies that demonstrate (1) strong third party buy-in, (2) protected technology and (3) a clear exit strategy. Submit executive summaries through www.beaconangels.com. Referred plans only please.
Attorney and Lawyer
1999
Lawyer in corporate, finance, trademark & copyright protection & licensing. Services include financings, IP protection and license agreements, OEM and joint venture agreements, and stock and asset purchase agreements; employment & consultant contracts, equity compensation plans, and dispute resolutions.
President & Director
1998 - 2007
Founding national president (2001-2002). Past Head of Boston Chapter (2000-2006). Am still involved as a member, and I also manage the PrincetonEN Venture-Net LinkedIn Group.
General Counsel
1996 - 1999
* Conducted mergers and acquisitions, * Negotiated and improved license agreements, * Conducted contract and employment negotiations with acquisition target personnel, * Spun off division, * Registered and defended trademarks, and * Worked with patent counsel to register core technologies.
Secretary and General Counsel
1993 - 1996
• Settled major copyright & trademark infringement case. • Negotiated end user and OEM license agreements. • Negotiated vendor agreements. • Handled all corporate and financing work, including full bank line of credit. • Provided initial defense of major liability lawsuit, obtaining 100% insurance coverage; worked with litigator to settle suit without disruption of company's IPO plans. • Spun off division. • Defended and obtained dismissal of employment discrimination lawsuits. • Reformed and simplified form license agreements. • Recapitalized company from 14 down to four classes of stock. • Assisted with Initial Public Offering.
Associate Attorney
1987 - 1990
incorporated start-up companies; negotiated corporate financings; negotiated license agreements; litigated business disputes; registered trademarks & copyrights
Associate Attorney
1982 - 1984
researched and wrote memoranda of law; incorporated start-up companies; represented publicly traded municipal bond investment trust