Raymond Asiimwe

Overview

Raymond is the Managing and Founding Partner of Bytelex Advocates. He is recognised as a pioneer of venture law in Uganda and much of East Africa, drawing his experience from helping companies and investors interested in investing in ventures.

Raymond has advised numerous startups, technology companies and project sponsors across Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and Tanzania on the pertinent legal aspects affecting their business: business structuring and registration, capital structuring, corporate governance, regulation and business licensing, equity and quasi-equity financing, structured finance, and intellectual property protection and licensing.

Experience & work highlights

• Advised CMA Rwanda on a LUXDEV project to create a regulation for intermediary service platforms.
• Advised Pindo on their pre-seed round leading to a valuation of US$4,000,000.
• Advised Kabisa on their side letter and SAFE leading to an investment of US$250,000.
• Advised Tunzaa Inc. on their cap table and US$217,000 convertible-note financing.
• Advised the ICT Chamber on the fintech regulatory landscape in Rwanda — creating a reference fintech toolkit and delivering policy recommendations in a report.
• Engaged by GIZ Rwanda to create the Rwanda Startup Act, reviewing over 20 business laws in a gap analysis that led to the drafting of the Startup Act fiscal and soft-landing incentives.
• Advised Rwanda Business Angels (GIZ-funded) on creating an angel-investment handbook and practice toolkit.
• Advised Yellowcard Financial Services on several matters including application to the fintech sandbox in Uganda and the launch of YellowPay in Rwanda.
• Advised Uplus, a peer-lending platform, on the structure of their bridge financing round.
• Advised Delivery Hero, listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, on their global remote-work policy.
• Retained by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as legal consultant on the 250-startups accelerator mentorship programme in Rwanda — responsible for 10 companies and 10 trainee lawyers each cohort.
• Advised Zipline, a US$1.2bn drone-logistics startup operating in Rwanda and Ghana, on regulatory requirements, corporate governance and human-resource documentation.
• Advised Eutelsat and Vivendi group on their proposed entry into the Ugandan market.
• Advised Edcorp International on a US$1,150,000 equity financing term sheet and debt-financing documentation.
• Advised ALTX-group on setting up the first pan-African securities exchange for emerging companies focused on alternative derivatives.
• Advised on a US$710,000 SPV joint-venture vehicle to implement a startup residency programme in Kigali, Rwanda.
• Advised Think IT, Teheca, Matibabu, Park and Pick, Olado, The Einstein Giving, Sokowatch and Raisin Ltd on financing, IP, market-entry and fintech-compliance matters.