Start-up and beyond – a new commercial funding entity
I was the start-up CEO of Brown Coal Innovation Australia (BCIA) and worked with FAL to establish the organisation.
Our relationship was solidified after FAL helped us work through our initial funding agreement. From our perspective, the initial draft was too onerous but FAL helped us methodically work through all of the key issues. Jason Watson advised the Board, worked with us to develop a legal response and then participated in teleconferences with the other party and their legal team to negotiate key points. Thanks to Jason’s sensible legal responses to our commercial issues and to the concerns of the other party, we finally had a funding agreement that all parties were happy to sign.
During my two years with BCIA, FAL also helped with other funding agreements (state and federal); membership agreements; research project agreements, fellowship agreements and scholarship agreement; and they have also managed our application for tax exemption.
FAL made life really easy by delivering practical commercial outcomes, not just legal outcomes. They also have the right scale, especially for SMEs, as well as relevant and deep expertise in innovation. They also operate in a timeframe that for the commercial world is expedient, in contrast to certain larger legal firms. I also appreciate that you can get hold of them when you need to. And they work efficiently – I always feel like I’m getting value for money.
Bruce Godfrey
Founding CEO, Brown Coal Innovation
