Christopher McDemus

Co-Chair, Emerging Business & Venture Capital

Drawing on almost three decades of experience, Chris represents strategic buyers and sellers, as well as private equity funds and financial sponsors, in complex corporate deals including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, spinouts, exits, financings, recapitalizations, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships. He also works closely with private equity and financial sponsor portfolio companies to implement their growth-by-acquisition strategies. Focused on consummating deals, Chris strives to provide pragmatic, direct, and actionable advice.

As co-chair of the firm’s Emerging Business & Venture Capital Practice, Chris remains dedicated to serving startup and emerging growth companies, venture capital and growth equity funds, angel investors, family offices, and corporate venture units in their financing transactions. He enjoys helping innovative companies adapt, thrive, and grow through all stages of their lifecycle, very often in the role of outside general counsel. His advice and guidance is regularly sought on day-to-day legal and business issues such as pitch deck development and pitch coaching, capital structure, business model development, capital raising, and growth and exit strategies, as well as other strategic and tactical matters. He is highly experienced in all financing structures, including seed preferred stock, series preferred stock, convertible notes, SAFEs, bridge loans, PIPE transactions, growth equity, and financing-related recapitalizations. Always looking to make value-added connections, Chris opens his network of funds and investors to clients to assist in their capital raising.

Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from Providence College and his law degree from Widener University School of Law, where he was the internal managing editor of The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law.

Experience

News

Philadelphia Business Journal's 2020 in Review: Philadelphia-area Lawyers Who Made the Biggest Moves This Year

January 12, 2021

The article stated, “... the biggest winner this year was Cozen O'Connor, which had three of the top 10 lateral hires.”

Cozen O’Connor Commits $150,000 in Services to Minority and Traditionally Underrepresented Entrepreneurs in Philadelphia

June 12, 2020

Led by Michael Crossey and Christopher McDemus, co-chairs of Cozen O’Connor’s Emerging Business & Venture Capital Practice, the initiative is part of the firm’s COpilot program.

Cozen O’Connor Boosts its Technology, Privacy, Data Security and Emerging Growth Practices by Adding Nine Attorneys from Philadelphia Law Boutique Baer Crossey McDemus LLC

May 04, 2020

Andrew Baer, Michael Crossey, and Christopher McDemus will stretch the firm’s reach within the global technology, and emerging growth business communities.

Education

  • Widener University School of Law, J.D., 1995
  • Providence College, B.A., 1991
  • Delaware
  • Pennsylvania