The dilemma of whether to list trade secrets continues, with the challenge of balancing litigation readiness with operational burden increasing. This roundtable provides a pragmatic discussion of when to list, when not to, and when a hybrid model may be most effective.

Agriculture is often framed as part of the climate problem—but it also holds untapped potential as a scalable carbon removal solution. This session explores how regenerative practices, when paired with robust measurement and market infrastructure, can transform working lands into reliable carbon sinks. We’ll unpack what it takes to move from practice-based claims to verified outcomes, and how companies, farmers, and policymakers can align to unlock agriculture’s role as a true removal engine.  

Trade secret cases are often won or lost on contemporaneous evidence. This roundtable focuses on how companies build defensible records before any misappropriation is suspected.

Mergers and acquisition bring about profound risk for the loss or theft of proprietary information, with he added complications of uncatalogued trade secrets and departing employees with deep process knowledge only increasing these risks. This session will discuss practical strategies that in-house teams are implementing to mitigate these risks and allow for smooth M&A proceedings.

• Integration of M&A systems to prevent risk during acquisition, and balance restrictive covenants.
• How to mitigate the risk posed by departing employees with deep process knowledge.
• Balancing enforcement with workforce mobility and ensuring that morale and professionality is maintained.
• Strategies for joint development M&A.

Beyond legal risk, trade secret disputes can result in catastrophic knock-on effects throughout a business: they can disrupt operations, drain technical teams, and affect investor confidence for years. This fireside chat looks at how in-house teams manage trade secret litigation when the stakes extend far beyond the courtroom.

• How litigation strategy changes when trade secret disputes become ‘bet-the-business’ matters.
• Managing discovery scope, technical witness fatigue, and internal disruption over multi-year disputes.
• Navigating investor relations, disclosure obligations, and activist pressure during ongoing litigation.
• Decision-making around settlement, arbitration, or escalation when business survival is at stake.

Strategic collaborations are increasingly central to innovation, particularly in life sciences and technology, where companies rely on partnerships for research, development, and manufacturing. This session explores the trade secret considerations that arise across the full lifecycle of a collaboration, from early discussions and deal negotiation to active partnerships and potential disputes.

• Trade secret strategy during early deal exploration and negotiating terms that protect the ownership of know-how, confidentiality obligations, and information access.
• Offensive and defensive considerations when collaborations lead to litigation or misappropriation claims.
• Managing trade secrets during active collaborations such as joint R&D, licensing, or manufacturing partnerships.
• Trade secret risks when collaborations fail, including “busted deals,” employee mobility, and disputes over the use of shared know-how.