Jana Kovich advises life sciences and technology startups and venture capital investors on a full range of transactional and operational matters across the company lifecycle.

Market-savvy and technically skilled, Jana leverages trusted relationships and creative pragmatism to guide emerging and growth companies on:

  • Company formation and structuring
  • Corporate governance and investor relations
  • Venture capital raising, from seed stage through late-growth equity
  • Day-to-day corporate advice
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Exit strategy and initial public offerings
  • US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting and compliance

She partners with founders, management, and investors to develop a sophisticated understanding of their long-term business objectives. Jana distills complex legal concepts into actionable commercial advice across high-growth sectors, helping clients flourish at all stages of the venture lifecycle. Her work encompasses dozens of venture capital, growth equity, and exit transactions every year, across a wide range of geographies.

A recognized thought leader, Jana lectures on a variety of topics related to venture capital issues, including at Duke University School of Law and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. 

Jana actively contributes to Latham’s recruiting, mentoring, diversity, and training and development programs, and is a former leader of the Chicago Women’s Lawyers Group. She is an auxiliary board member of the Center for Conflict Resolution Chicago, a not-for-profit helping individuals, communities, courts, and other institutions resolve conflict through mediation.

She maintains an active pro bono practice, including general corporate governance work on behalf of A Better Chicago, a venture philanthropy that invests in the nonprofits helping Chicago children escape poverty.

Jana's experience includes advising:

Venture Capital Financings

  • Oura on its US$75 million Series D financing
  • Kandji on its US$100 million Series D financing
  • Rivian Automotive on multiple venture capital financings
  • Vuori on its US$825 million third-party tender offer
  • Cresset on its US$150 million preferred unit financing
  • Meritech Partners on various lead investments, including Flock Safety and Clay Labs
  • Drive Capital on various lead investments, including AcreTrader and Greenlight
  • DNS Capital on various lead and follow-on investments, including Beyond Meat, Jetti, and Recogni
  • GreatPoint Ventures on various lead and follow-on investments, including Extend, Spot Insurance, and Truvian
  • Sequoia Capital on its lead investment in 23andMe
  • Softbank on its lead investment in Shipbob
  • Baxter Healthcare on various investments
  • The Pritzker Organization on various investments
  • TPG on its lead investment in Monogram Health

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Tegus on its US$1 billion acquisition of Canalyst
  • Tegus on its sale to AlphaSense
  • Cradlepoint, a wireless networking products and docking solutions provider, on its US$1.1 billion sale to Ericsson
  • Headspace, a meditation and wellness app, on its combination with Ginger, a virtual healthcare platform
  • Keybase, a secure messaging and file-sharing service provider, on its sale to Zoom Video Communications
  • M*Modal, a provider of clinical documentation solutions and clinical transcription service, on the US$1 billion sale of its technology business to 3M

General Corporate Advice

  • Archean Biologics
  • Heavy.AI
  • Kandji
  • Mantium.AI
  • PatientIQ
  • Tegus
  • Unlearn.ai
  • VillageMD
  • ZenBusiness

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois

Education

  • JD, Duke University School of Law, 2015
    cum laude
  • LL.M. (International and Comparative Law), Duke University School of Law, 2015
    cum laude
  • BS in Public Affairs, Indiana University, 2012
    with honors in Business and with high distinction