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Stephanie Zeppa

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Stephanie Zeppa is a partner in the Corporate & Securities Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

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Overview

In late 2013, startup accelerator Y Combinator unveiled its Simple Agreement for Future Equity (“SAFE”) investment instrument as an alternative to convertible debt.  While SAFE templates surfaced in different varieties, the purported goal was to create a standardized set of basic funding terms between startups and investors while deferring decisions about valuation, liquidation preferences and participation rights until later-stage rounds of financing.  In mid-2014, another accelerator, 500 Startups, introduced a competing document, dubbed the Keep It Simple Security (“KISS”).  Although investors were initially nervous about accepting either of the new investment forms, these alternatives to conventional notes (“note-alternatives”) have become an increasingly popular tool for investing in early stage companies.
Continue Reading SAFEs and KISSes Poised to Be the Next Generation of Startup Financing

On January 20, 2015, the FDA issued draft guidelines[1] designed to give developers whose products and applications promote healthy lifestyles (so-called “general wellness products”) direction on when such products qualify as medical devices under Section 201(h) of the Food Drug & Cosmetics Act (the “Act”) and are therefore subject to the Act’s regulatory requirements for devices.
Continue Reading FDA Issues Guidance for Low-Risk General Wellness Products

Apple’s apps store lists close to a 100,000 health apps.  Together with wearable technology, direct-to-consumer testing services, and greater consumer participation in the decision to purchase health insurance, the healthcare market in the United States is undergoing a significant transformation.  Whether and how to regulate this evolving market is subject to substantial discussion and debate.
Continue Reading Mobile Medical App Regulations on the Move – Proposed Bills To Further Alter the Regulatory Landscape of Mobile Medical Applications

On June 30, 2013, the State of Delaware amended the Delaware General Corporations Law (the “DGCL”) to include two new sections, Section 204 and Section 205 (together, the “Ratification Provisions”). Set to take effect on April 1, 2014, the Ratification Provisions provide Delaware companies with two alternative processes to remedy defective corporate acts that may have previously been deemed void or voidable: by the company itself (under Section 204) or by the Delaware Court of Chancery (under Section 205). Upon the ratification or the validation by either the company or the court, the defective corporate act will be deemed retroactively effective and valid as of the time the defective corporate act was taken.
Continue Reading Applying a Legal Bandaid to Defective Acts: Delaware Law Creates New Procedures to Ratify Defective Corporate Acts

On September 23, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA” or the “Agency”) issued long-awaited final guidance for developers of mobile medical or health applications (or “mobile medical apps”) used on smartphones and other mobile devices. The final guidance reflects a tailored approach by the Agency to analyzing mobile medical apps, and represents an important step in narrowing the field of interpretation of the current laws.
Continue Reading The FDA Releases Long-Awaited Final Guidance on Mobile Medical Applications