Steve Barsotti

Managing Director + Chair, Emerging Business
sbarsotti@keglerbrown.com
Office: 614-462-5458
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Steve Barsotti

Managing Director + Chair, Emerging Business

Steve is the managing director of the firm and chairs the Emerging Business practice, serving as outside general counsel to clients throughout all stages, from startup and seed stage, through sustained and strategic growth and, ultimately, exit. 

For these clients, Steve advises their leadership teams on growth and financing strategy, IP strategy, buy- and sell-side M+A, and emerging technologies, leveraging the skills and experience of the broader Kegler Brown team to handle day-to-day legal needs and leading clients through complex transactions that are transformative to their businesses. 

As a key business leader for Kegler, Steve leverages his work with entrepreneurial enterprises to drive the firm’s strategy + growth. In turn, he is able to provide a more comprehensive perspective to his work with clients, approaching every engagement as a business and strategic advisor, and in most instances working directly with founders and executive teams to provide practical advice, bring clarity to complex dynamics, and focus on actionable decision points for business leaders.

Leading the Emerging Business team, Steve works with start-ups to develop and execute their capital strategy, including structuring and negotiating angel and venture capital led rounds, IP strategy, including all aspects of IP, and people strategy, including structuring of incentives.

Steve has deep experience with capital raising of all variations, including debt and equity financing, and provides strategic advice to business owners, CEOs, and CFOs exploring how to finance their company’s growth.

Working on both the buy- and sell-side, Steve has built extensive experience in M+A and has guided clients across numerous industries through the exit process. And as part of the firm’s Global Business team, Steve also regularly advises clients on cross-border transactions and expansion into new markets.

  • The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (J.D., 2002)
  • Wake Forest University (B.A., 1999)

  • Ohio
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

  • Columbus Bar Association, member
  • Columbus Bar Services Board, member
  • Columbus Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA), member
  • International Trademark Association, member
  • Ohio State Bar Association, member

  • 2025 Smart 50 Award Honoree
  • Recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for Trademark Law by The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Honored by Chambers USA for expertise in Corporate/M+A
  • Honored by Chambers USA for expertise in Intellectual Property
  • Selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers list
  • Selected to the Ohio Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers
  • Recognized by Columbus CEO Top Lawyers 

  • United Way of Central Ohio, Young Leadership Group, member

Startups + Growth Equity

Steve is recognized for his ability to build effective connections between growth-focused enterprises and investors to drive business. Serving as legal counsel for dynamic startups and small and emerging businesses is a core focus of Steve's legal practice. And his extensive experience working in this area enhances his ability to serve these clients as more than just a legal advisor.

For Growing Businesses

Steve is called upon to work with clients on their pre-fundraising strategy, which often includes grooming the company and its owners for structuring successful and legally sound capital raises from potential equity investors. Because capital is often the most critical factor in achieving short- and long-range goals, clients benefit from Steve's experience with venture and angel funds, private equity investors and from his personal relationships with public and private incentive-granting representatives. These associations have proven to be a critical factor in leading his client’s development endeavors.

Steve offers a proven ability to work closely with the deal team, including tax and accounting advisors, and risk management, financial and wealth management professionals. His success is due in part to his ability to facilitate collaboration and communication throughout the life of a deal. Understanding the language and the landscape of these transactions is Steve's strength, and his people skills consistently create tangible value for his clients.

In addition to working with clients to launch their commercial ventures, Steve serves as ongoing and outside general counsel to emerging and high-growth companies on the array of management, expansion and development initiatives they face on a day-to-day basis. A sampling of which includes:

  • Equity capital and other financing options through private, angel and institutional investors
  • Debt financing and recapitalizations
  • Company structuring options and tax planning
  • Securities compliance, including the preparation of disclosure materials and applicable regulatory filings
  • Structuring equity-based employee incentive plans

For Equity Investors

On the investor side, Steve works closely with a diverse range of investors and funds on planning, executing and maximizing their investments in emerging businesses, including strategic legal analysis regarding:

  • The long-term viability of a target company as an investment
  • Pre-deal strategic planning and structuring of proposed investments
  • Preparation and negotiation of complex financial and equity investment agreements
  • State and federal regulatory compliance

Experience

First-Ever Acquisition for Chipotle's "Cultivate Next" Venture Fund

Whole spices, oil and garlic, with a mortar and pestle

Leading Full-Service Restaurant Concept in Investment from Private Equity

A blank sign outside of a cafe

Lead Counsel to Homage on "Deal of the Year" Investment from Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort Investments LLC

Multicolored t shirts folded cylindrically and placed in a line

Acquisition of Food Production Automation + Robotics Business

Robotics

Negotiations for a Restaurant’s Strategic "Article 9" Asset Sale

Images of two empty drink glasses at a restaurant

Sale of Hot Chicken Takeover Concept to Private Equity

Lots of fried chicken on a plate with sliced pickles

Successful Acquisition of a Competing Manufacturing Company

Close-up of Silicon Die are being Extracted from Semiconductor Wafer and Attached to Substrate by Pick and Place Machine. Computer Chip Manufacturing at Fab. Semiconductor Packaging Process.

Sale of International Software Company

Circuit Board Background - Computer, Data, Technology, Artificial Intelligence

Lead Counsel to Victoria's Secret in $18M Minority Equity Investment

Lacey undergarments representing Victoria's Secret

Publications + Presentations

Article

UPDATE: Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act Suspended

Article

UPDATE: The Return of the Corporate Transparency Act (Yet Again)

Article

The Drama Continues But The Corporate Transparency Act is STILL on Hold

Article

Nationwide Enforcement of CTA Reporting Rule Paused Again – For Now

Article

UPDATE: The Corporate Transparency Act’s Reporting Requirements Are Revived, with Filing Deadline Extensions

Article

Texas Federal Court Issues Nationwide Preliminary Injunction Against Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act’s BOI Reporting Rule

Article

The CTA Year-End Filing Deadline is Rapidly Approaching: Start Preparing to File Now

Article

Prepare for Compliance With the Corporate Transparency Act

publication

Ohio’s Revised LLC Act - What You Need to Know

Firm Highlights