The seven-strong venture capital group at CMS Carey & Allende specialises in early and growth-stage financings, Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs), corporate flips and venture-backed M&A. Ernesto Eckholt, who is experienced in high-stakes venture capital and M&A transactions, also assists with structuring financing rounds for start-ups, and advising investment funds from the technology, energy, retail and salmon farming sectors. Jorge Allende Destuet advises start-ups and investors on fund formation, corporate governance, M&A and venture financing.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: NPS ®
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Technical expertise, availability, and a deep understanding of clients’ business, and they make their advice not only accurate but also useful and actionable. Clients highlight their quick responses, attention to detail, and ability to simplify complex issues, coordinating different areas with a strategic vision and close collaboration with the senior team.
- Ernesto Eckholt is an exceptional practitioner in the venture capital space. He combines rigorous legal analysis with genuine commercial pragmatism — he understands that founders and investors need solutions, not just risk flags. His availability and responsiveness are well above market standards, and he has a talent for simplifying complex structuring issues into clear, actionable advice. He is also deeply plugged into the Chilean innovation and startup ecosystem, which gives him valuable context that purely transactional lawyers often lack. Working with him feels collaborative rather than purely advisory, which is a significant differentiator.
- CMS Carey & Allende's venture capital practice stands out for its deep understanding of the start-up and technology ecosystem in Chile. The team combines strong transactional capabilities with practical commercial awareness, which is critical when advising on early-stage investments, funding rounds, and corporate structuring for tech ventures. They are responsive, well-organised, and able to handle cross-border matters efficiently, given CMS's international network. Compared to other firms in the Chilean market, their integration with CMS' global platform gives them a meaningful edge for clients with international investors or expansion plans. The team shows a willingness to adapt its approach to the pace and culture of the tech industry, which not all traditional firms manage well.
Key clients
- Gauss Control
- Watermind
- Tazki
- Environ
- Sunna Ventures
- Omicspath
- TCIT Cloud Solutions
- EZLog
Work highlights
Advised Visma on the acquisition of Chilean SaaS payroll and HR technology company, Talana, an $88m cross-border transaction involving Chile, Peru, and Norway.
Advised OmicsPath AI, a healthcare technology start-up applying AI to oncology decision-making, on the structuring of a multi-jurisdictional corporate group and a pre-seed financing round through SAFE instruments.
Advised US-based venture capital fund Sunna Ventures on its participation in Unblock’s $13.5m seed round, a climate and energy technology company focused on reducing gas flaring in Latin America.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Ernesto Eckholt
Other key lawyers
Franco Dalmazzo; Tomás Herlin