The latest NextGen VC podcast episodehttps://launchbio.org/nextgen-vc-podcast/podcast/navigating-board-governance-in-biotech-ventures/ introduces the “Venture Ed” series aimed at biotech investors.
Hosted by Mike Hostetler and Jen Fang, partners at Wilson Sonsini, listeners are treated to a masterclass in biotech corporate governance. Their guest is Amy Simmerman, a corporate governance expert from Wilson Sonsini’s Wilmington, Delaware office.
The episode delves into the legal nuances of serving as a biotech company board director and offers invaluable insights for venture investors navigating this complex terrain. They discuss the legal implications of serving as a biotech company board director, exploring duties of care and loyalty, conflict of interest management, and the importance of confidentiality and transparency. Special attention is given to the challenges venture investors face in balancing their duties to the companies they invest in with their responsibilities to their funds.
Interested in in-person learning opportunities? Apply to be considered for the next NextGen VC Forum on May 16 in San Francisco.
Meet the Guest Speaker: Amy Simmerman
Amy Simmerman is a partner in the Wilmington, Delaware, office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Amy is a leader of the firm’s Delaware office and governance practice, and she serves on the firm’s board of directors. Her practice focuses on providing advice on all aspects of Delaware corporate law and related corporate governance issues, including fiduciary duties, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder activism, corporate formation, stock issuances, preferred stock investments, and various statutory matters. She regularly represents special committees of boards of directors in mergers and acquisitions, internal investigations, and other matters, and she provides corporate advice in the context of governance litigation. Amy provides advice to a wide array of clients—including investors and public and private companies. Her practice involves advising many companies and investors in the technology and life sciences industries, although Amy also advises across a variety of industries and sectors.
She has been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for her handling of transactional matters, including M&A and IPOs, with sources commenting that “her level of expertise, credibility, and knowledge is incredible” and that she is an “excellent lawyer.” In the technology and life science spaces, sources commented that “her combination of knowledge of Delaware law and experience with venture-backed companies may be unparalleled.” Amy was named to The Deal’s 2023 “Top Women in Dealmaking” list and is a member of the American College of Governance Counsel.
Amy frequently speaks and publishes on Delaware law and governance issues and has guest lectured at Harvard Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and UC Hastings College of the Law. Within Delaware, she has served on a committee of the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association to vet potential amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law. Amy is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.