Sahir Surmeli (original) (raw)
Sahir’s passion for energy and sustainability has been integral to the evolution of the industry. He was one of the first attorneys in the US to dedicate his practice to clean energy, climate, and sustainability over 20 years ago. As Co-Chair of the Energy & Sustainability practice, Sahir provides clients across the ecosystem from investors to entrepreneurs to public companies, strategic results-driven legal solutions – often leading “first of their kind” transactions. His versatility, creativity, and ability to problem-solve are based on the completion of hundreds of venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and follow-on public offerings in the energy transition & sustainability sector over the course of his career. He also routinely advises public and private company boards on governance matters and board processes involving transformational transactions – including financing, M&A, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Sahir is dedicated to the development of the industry’s next generation of leaders and is actively involved with start-up organizations and accelerators. He helps entrepreneurs secure financing, commercial agreements, and partnerships. In addition, he supports companies seeking funding from the US Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.
Sahir leads the firm’s Energy & Sustainability Practice, which has completed more than 800 transactions across energy sectors totaling over $30 billion since 2006. Serving more than 250 US and international clients - spanning the ecosystem from emerging companies to global corporations, family offices to major VC, PE and infrastructure funds, and project developers and sponsors to strategic and financial investors the firm is recognized nationally as a leading law firm in the space. Sahir is also a senior member of the firm’s Securities Practice Group and Technology Practice Group.
Sahir is a highly skilled and versatile business counselor who advises companies, boards, entrepreneurs, investment banks, and venture and private equity investors, as they build and grow companies. He has worked on a wide variety of capital-raising projects, including equity, debt, syndicated loan, strategic investment, and structured finance offerings, with aggregate proceeds of more than $10.6 billion. He has extensive experience in corporate finance and securities law as well as mergers and acquisitions. Sahir represents issuers, underwriters, initial purchasers, and placement agents in public and private equity offerings, debt offerings (particularly high yield, but also investment grade), bank financings, leveraged buyouts, securitizations, and related transactions as well as private equity funds in leveraged buyouts.
Sahir has an MBA in corporate finance and focuses on adding value in complex financing structures and helping younger companies navigate the challenges of the public and private markets. He handles projects in a broad range of sectors, including energy and clean technology, information technology, telecommunications, materials, and industrial technology. He also has extensive international experience — he previously practiced in New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong and now works from the Boston office of Mintz. He has represented clients in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
Sahir’s passion for energy and sustainability has been integral to the evolution of the industry. He was one of the first attorneys in the US to dedicate his practice to clean energy, climate, and sustainability over 20 years ago. As Co-Chair of the Energy & Sustainability practice, Sahir provides clients across the ecosystem from investors to entrepreneurs to public companies, strategic results-driven legal solutions – often leading “first of their kind” transactions. His versatility, creativity, and ability to problem-solve are based on the completion of hundreds of venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and follow-on public offerings in the energy transition & sustainability sector over the course of his career. He also routinely advises public and private company boards on governance matters and board processes involving transformational transactions – including financing, M&A, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Sahir is dedicated to the development of the industry’s next generation of leaders and is actively involved with start-up organizations and accelerators. He helps entrepreneurs secure financing, commercial agreements, and partnerships. In addition, he supports companies seeking funding from the US Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.
Experience
- Represented Pascal, a startup developing high-efficiency climate-friendly heat pumps, air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers based on solid refrigerants, in an $8 million in a seed round led by Engine Ventures, and including Khosla Ventures and Blindspot Ventures.
- Represented the agents in connection with an equity distribution agreement with NASDAQ-listed 5E Advanced Materials, led by Canaccord Genuity and D.A. Davidson.
- Investor-side representation in the $11.8m seed financing of SiTration, a materials recovery company serving the mining and metals industries, led by 2150 with participation from BHP Ventures, Extantia, and Orion Industrial Ventures, Azolla Ventures and E14 Fund.
- Represented Sora Fuel, a newly formed company creating sustainable fuels from atmospheric carbon, in its first SAFE financing.
- Represented Gradiant Corporation, a global end-to-end solutions provider of advanced water and wastewater treatment, in its $300M Series D financing.
- Represented Aries Linden in a tax equity financing for a biosolids gasification project located in New Jersey.
- Represented Aspen Aerogels in its $75M registered direct offering.
- Represented Copernic in an exclusive four-year research collaboration agreement with Schrödinger, Inc. to help accelerate the discovery and development of sustainable catalysts for applications in e-fuels and bulk chemicals.
- Represented Nuveen Alternative Advisors in connection with a co-investment alongside Lime Rock New Energy, L.P. in the acquisition of Power TakeOff, a software-enabled energy efficiency services company.
- Represented for Nuvve Holding Corp in a $25M common stock at-the-market offering facility. Nuvve Holding Corp is a global leader in vehicle-to-grid technology offering high-powered charging and grid services that optimize unused and renewable energy.
- Represented a client in its Convertible note financing for technology incubator.
- Represented Engine Ventures as co-lead investor in Series A for AtmosZero, a company that designs and manufactures electric boilers for commercial applications.
- Investor-side representation in the $30M Series A Financing of Maymaan Research, Inc. led by WAVE Equity Partners.
- Investor-side representation in a preferred stock for Micatu Holdings, Inc. a developer of optical sensor platforms for smart grids.
- Represented a Boston-based leader in vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets in its merger with a special purpose acquisition company and associated public company filing requirements post-closing.
- Investor-side representation in a Series A investment in Micatu, a developer of optical sensor platforms for smart grids, by WAVE Equity Partners.
- Investor-side representation in a pre-seed investment in Osmoses, a developer of membrane materials for chemical separations by the Engine.
- Investor-side representation in a Series A investment in Novolyze Inc., a developer of food safety technology, by WAVE Equity Partners.
- Represented EnergySage, Inc., a leading online comparison-shopping marketplace for rooftop solar, energy storage, project financing, and community solar, in its business combination with Schneider Electric Industries SAS.
- Represented PasCal Technologies, Inc., a newly formed company developing a novel class of solid refrigerants to transform the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry, in its first SAFE financing.
- Represented a client in a Convertible Note PIPE with affiliate of Koch Strategic Platforms, LLC.
- Represented a client in a Venture capital financing of renewable powered data center.
- Represented NBD Nanotechnologies Inc., a technology company specializing in coatings and additives for surfaces, in its sale to Henkel US Operations Corporation, a subsidiary of Henkel.
- Represented Gradiant, a leading global end-to-end cleantech water treatment solutions provider and project developer in its $100M+ Series C funding.
- Represented WAVE Equity Partners in their investment in a tankless water heater company focused on residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
- Represented Spring Lane Capital in the equity investment into a “green” Data Center complex powered by wind farm under a unique structure permitting the addition of subsequent projects that share power and common facilities.
- Advised underwriters of $207M SPAC IPO (initial public offering) of Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Canaccord Genuity.
- Represented Aspen Aerogels, a developer of energy infrastructure and electric vehicle battery technologies, in connection with an at-the-market (ATM) offering of up to approximately $35M.
- Represented Nuvve Holding Corp. in its $14M registered direct offering with Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC acting as placement agent.
- Represented a Boston-based leader in vehicle electrification solutions for commercial and municipal fleets in its merger with a special purpose acquisition company and associated public company filing requirements post-closing.
- Represented Aspen Aerogels, Inc. in its $150M at-the-market offering with Cowen and Company, LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. as sales agents.
- Represented Aspen Aerogels, Inc. in its $275M public offering underwritten by Cowen and Company, LLC and Barclays Capital Inc.
- Represented electronic manufacturing services business in sale to private equity firm.
- Represented InfraRed Capital Partners in establishing energy storage company, Hectate Grid, a joint venture with Hectate Energy.
- Represented NYSE-listed Aspen Aerogels in its strategic partnership with BASF.
- Represented Spring Lane Capital in its investment in Aries Clean Energy.
- Represented Edenred North America, a subsidiary of Euronext-listed Edenred SA, in establishing NutriSavings joint venture.
- Represented Nasdaq-Listed The ONE Group Hospitality in its proposed acquisitions to purchase additional restaurant brands.
- Represented NBD Nanotechnologies in joint development agreements and Series A and Series B financings.
- Represented industrial wastewater treatment and desalination provider Gradiant Corporation in establishing a standalone oilfield services company with Turnbridge Capital.
- Represented WAVE Equity Partners in its investments in American Aerogel, Lionano, Heatworks, Intellihot, CHASM and Living Greens Farm.
- Represented SSC Venture Partners in forming its first fund.
- Represented GreatPoint Energy in its $1.25B financing and joint venture with China-based Wanxiang Holdings; selected as Greentech Media’s Deal of the Year.
- Represented Aspen Aerogels in its $82.5M IPO on the NYSE.
- Represented EnerNOC, Inc. in its IPO and follow-on offerings ($97M, 108M,and108M, and 108M,and97M, respectively.)
- Represented the underwriters in the IPO of Ameresco on the NYSE.
- Served as counsel to Canaccord Genuity and Barclays in follow-on public offering of BioAmber.
- Represented Nasdaq-listed The ONE Group Hospitality in rights offering, registered direct offering, and debt financings.
- Represented NBD Nanotechnologies, a developer of surface coatings, on multiple financings.
- Represented significant minority holder in global retail business.
- Advised ACE Surgical Supply in its strategic arrangements with NYSE-listed Henry Schein.
- Represented underwriters in the IPO of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals.
- Served as counsel to Canaccord Genuity in 32.5Mand32.5M and 32.5Mand37.4M follow-on public offerings for Rubicon Technology.
- Represented e-commerce platform Blueport Commerce in financing and partnership matters.
- Represented Canaccord in Televent GIT, S.A. follow-on public offerings ($66M and $115M, respectively).
- Represented data analytics company Resilient Ops in its Seed Financing.
- Represented ChyronHego in its acquisition of Dutch broadcast software solutions provider VidiGo.
- Represented FalconAI in its formation and Seed Financing.
- Represented underwriters in 144A offering by a casino company.
- Represented C&S Wholesale Grocers in its 144A offering of $400M senior secured notes.
- Represented underwriters in private placements by US national retail chain.
- Represented issuer in secured convertible note financing.
- Investor-side representation in a note financing of up to $2M.
- Represented an innovative company that has developed a storage process to efficiently replace fire with renewable heat for industrial uses in general corporate matters.
viewpoints
News & Press
Mintz Partners with The Engine for Tough Tech Week ’24
September 24, 2024
Mintz is pleased to be the exclusive legal partner of The Engine’s 2024 “Tough Tech Week” summit taking place October 7-11 in Boston. The Engine is an accelerator program started by MIT that works together with Engine Ventures, a premier VC investor, to address the planet’s most challenging problems through coordinated innovation.
Mintz’s Commitment to Energy Transition Underscored by Roles on $4.6 Billion in Deals
March 22, 2023
Deal activity remains high for our Energy & Sustainability Practice, building on the momentum of last year’s record of 57 transactions with an aggregate deal value of $4.6 billion. Global investment into energy transition and climate technology drove our work for clients like NET Power, Nuvve Corporation, and Aspen Aerogels.
Events & Speaking
Sahir’s passion for energy and sustainability has been integral to the evolution of the industry. He was one of the first attorneys in the US to dedicate his practice to clean energy, climate, and sustainability over 20 years ago. As Co-Chair of the Energy & Sustainability practice, Sahir provides clients across the ecosystem from investors to entrepreneurs to public companies, strategic results-driven legal solutions – often leading “first of their kind” transactions. His versatility, creativity, and ability to problem-solve are based on the completion of hundreds of venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and follow-on public offerings in the energy transition & sustainability sector over the course of his career. He also routinely advises public and private company boards on governance matters and board processes involving transformational transactions – including financing, M&A, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Sahir is dedicated to the development of the industry’s next generation of leaders and is actively involved with start-up organizations and accelerators. He helps entrepreneurs secure financing, commercial agreements, and partnerships. In addition, he supports companies seeking funding from the US Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.
Recognition & Awards
- The Social Shake-Up: Movers and Shakers Award
- JD Supra: Top Author, Readers' Choice Awards – Defense & Space, Construction, and Energy, M&A
- Euromoney’s LMG Cleantech & Renewable Energy: Top 100 Lawyers in CleanTech
- Euromoney’s LMG Cleantech & Renewable Energy: Top 10 Clean Technology and Renewables Law Firm
- Watershed Capital Group: #2 US Clean Technology law firm
- Wunder Capital: 100 People Shaping Cleantech on Twitter
- Included on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list: Securities & Corporate Finance; Energy & Resources
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce: Boston's Future Leaders
Sahir’s passion for energy and sustainability has been integral to the evolution of the industry. He was one of the first attorneys in the US to dedicate his practice to clean energy, climate, and sustainability over 20 years ago. As Co-Chair of the Energy & Sustainability practice, Sahir provides clients across the ecosystem from investors to entrepreneurs to public companies, strategic results-driven legal solutions – often leading “first of their kind” transactions. His versatility, creativity, and ability to problem-solve are based on the completion of hundreds of venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and follow-on public offerings in the energy transition & sustainability sector over the course of his career. He also routinely advises public and private company boards on governance matters and board processes involving transformational transactions – including financing, M&A, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Sahir is dedicated to the development of the industry’s next generation of leaders and is actively involved with start-up organizations and accelerators. He helps entrepreneurs secure financing, commercial agreements, and partnerships. In addition, he supports companies seeking funding from the US Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.
Involvement
- Member, Innovation Task Force of the Northeast Clean Energy Council
- Member, MIT Energy Club
- Judge, Cleantech Open Northeast Regional Finals
- Judge and Mentor Committee member, Ignite Clean Energy: MIT Enterprise Forum Business Plan Competition