Shahir Guindi - Private Equity Lawyer

Shahir Guindi, Ad. E.

National Co-chair

Key Contact: Mergers and Acquisitions

Key Contact: Commercial Technology Transactions

Key Contact: Private Equity and Pension Fund Investments

Key Contact: Emerging and High Growth Companies

Key Contact: Venture Capital

Contact Information

sguindi@osler.com

tel: Mtl: 514.904.8126
To: 416.862.6650

Office

Montréal

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Areas of Expertise

Bar Admission

Québec, 1990

New York, 1990

Education

  • McGill University, LL.B.
  • McGill University, B.C.L.

Language(s)

Arabic, English, French

Shahir is the firm's national Co-Chair and a member of the firm’s Partnership Board. He was Managing Partner of the Montréal office for 7 years prior to becoming national Co-Chair. He has over 30 years of experience and is a recognized advisor in M&A, private equity and corporate finance. His private equity and venture capital experience includes advising funds on their domestic and cross-border portfolio investments and divestitures and on their fund formations. Shahir acts for a number of the country’s most successful technology and biotechnology companies. 

Shahir sits on the Board of Jubilant Draxis Pharma. He was a member of the Board of Directors of GFL Environmental, of the Business Development Bank of Canada for eight years and of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, which he chaired from 2019 to 2021. He is also a member of the boards of several other companies and was Co-Chair of Réseau Capital (Québec’s private equity and venture capital association) between 2010 and 2013.

Shahir has received significant industry and peer recognition, including having received top rankings in eight categories of the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (including Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance & Securities, Private Equity, Technology Transactions, and Biotechnology). He is recognized as a Star Lawyer by Acritas Stars (now Thompson Reuters’ Standout Lawyers), and is also ranked in Chambers Canada, where he is recognized in the area of Corporate/Commercial (Québec) and Startups & Emerging Companies. Shahir was also recognized as the 2021 ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in Private Funds Law by Best Lawyers in Canada and is recognized by IFLR 1000 in the area of Investment Funds, M&A and Private Equity.

    • Blockstream in its raising of US$125 million to develop their crypto mining services
    • General Motors Co. in its US$650 equity investment in Lithium Americas Corp.
    • Export Development Canada, Canadian Business Growth Fund & Investissement Quebec in connection with Amilia Technologies’ $30 million financing round
    • CarbiCrete in its combined $23.5 million Series A financing round
    • OSF Digital in its US$100 million Series C financing round
    • iNovia Capital in connection with Talent.com’s US$120 million Series B financing round
    • Circle Cardiovascular Imaging in its strategic investment from Thoma Bravo
    • eLeapPower in its $21 million Series A financing round
    • MindBeacon in its acquisition by CloudMD
    • BrainBox AI in its US$24 million Series A financing round
    • Hopper in its US$175 million Series G financing round
    • Wrk Technologies Inc., in connection with its convertible note financing
    • Blockstream Corporation in over $100 million of financings
    • Represented SweetIQ Inc. in respect of its acquisition by ReachLocal, a USA TODAY NETWORK company and a part of Gannett Co., Inc. a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
    • Persistence Capital Partners, in connection with the subscription of Class C Shares in the capital of Rx Drug Mart Inc., a company specializing in the business of acquiring, consolidating and operating pharmacies across Canada
    • Counsel to Caprion Biosciences Inc. it its recapitalization by GHO Capital Partners LLP.
    • Canadian counsel to Zebra Technologies it is acquisition of the Enterprise business of Motorola Solutions
    • Counsel to TeraXion Inc. in its sale to Ciena Canada, Inc. of TeraXion’s high-speed photonics components (HSPC) assets for a purchase price of USD $32 million
    • iNovia Capital Inc., in connection with the formation of its new venture capital fund, iNovia Investment Fund 2015, which raised $175,000,000
    • Information Venture Partners in connection with the closing of its second FinTech fund
    • DAVIDsTEA, in its Initial Public Offering and Listing on the NASDAQ
    • Radialpoint SafeCare Inc., in relation to the sale of its Technical Security Services Business to AppDirect Canada Inc.
    • HarbourVest Partners in connection with the formation of HarbourVest Canada Growth Fund, a venture capital fund of funds formed as part of the Government of Canada’s Venture Capital Action Plan. The fund raised over $300 million
    • MEGA Brands in connection with its US$460 million public acquisition by Mattel
    • POSCO of Korea and China Steel Corporation of Taiwan in their $1.1 billion investment in ArcelorMittal Mines Canada’s iron ore mine business
    • Teralys Capital in the formation of almost $2 billion managed fund of funds
    • Turris Sites in its sale of a controlling interest to InSite Wireless of the United States and a subsequent securitization transaction
    • SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) in direct equity investments into North America
    • Jubilant Organosys Ltd. of India in its $250 million acquisition of NASDAQ and TSX listed Draxis Health Inc.
    • Beyond the Rack, in over $80M of financings, including with Highland Capital and Panorama.
    • Formation of the following funds: Rho Canada, Persistence Capital Partners, IGAN, Information Venture Partners, iNovia Capital, Real Ventures, TVM Capital, Lumira Fund II, Lumira Merck, Sanderling, CTI Life Sciences, Tandem Launch Technologies, Cycle Capital and others
    • CTI Capital in the $134 million Initial Closing of its Venture Capital Fund

  • Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Recognized in Startups & Emerging Companies (Nationwide) and Corporate/Commercial (Québec) 
    • "He has a big presence in this market."
    • "[Shahir is] a real top M&A guy; he is an extraordinary individual. He is a great thinker and can help us put all of the right pieces in place."
  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Recognized in Corporate Commercial Law; Health & Life Sciences; Technology Transactions; Private Equity; Corporate Mid-Market; Mergers & Acquisitions; Computer & IT Law; Corporate Finance & Securities
  • The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Corporate Commercial Law; Corporate Mid-Market; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity
  • Best Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Biotechnology Law; Corporate Law; FinTech Practice; Information Technology Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Private Funds Law; Technology Law; Venture Capital Law; “Lawyer of the Year”, Private Funds Law (2021)
  • IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms: Recognized in Private Equity; M&A; Investment Funds (Highly Regarded)
  • Who's Who Legal: Recognized in International - Life Sciences - Transactional and Life Sciences

  • St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church, Board of Directors

Boards

  • Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Chair 2019-2021
  • Business Development Bank of Canada, Member of the Board of Directors 2012-2021
  • GFL Environmental Inc., Member of the Board of Directors 2018-2019
  • Jubilant Draxis

  • "What public-style private deals mean for buyers and sellers", Update: Sep 17, 2018
  • "How PE buyers can stand out in an auction process", Update: Aug 8, 2018
  • "Co-investment: Why Canadian GPs should take note of SEC’s guidance", Update: Apr 30, 2018
  • "VC and PE firm codes of conduct", Update: July 25, 2017 (co-author)
  • "Venture capital investment in Canada: market and regulatory overview", Update: Jan 25, 2016 (co-author)
  • The Law and Pratice of Down-Round Financings: United States and Canada, panelist at the ABA conference Business Law Section – Spring Meeting, Montréal, April 9, 2016.
  • CEO Vision PDG, Seminar on “Exit Strategies”, Mont-Tremblant (2014-2016).
  • CEO Vision PDG, Seminar on “Capital de croissance”, Mont-Tremblant (2014 – 2016)
  • The Role of State Financial Institutions in the Development of Social Entrepreneurship, Rise Egypt Launch, Harvard Medical School, June 2014.
  • American Bar Association, National Institute on International Regulations and Compliance, Panel on “Regulatory Pitfalls on M&A Deals”, Washington, DC, October 2014.