S. Technology and Venture Capital

Technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists demand advisors who understand their needs and perspectives and can enable them to execute on their vision. In this course we will focus on how attorneys can best serve start-up technology companies and their investors, both as outside and in-house counsel.

We will walk through the life-cycle of a technology company: formation, financing, execution, and exit, acquainting you with the Silicon Valley style of lawyering. The aim is to give you both: (i) a technical understanding of the concepts, laws and regulations that critically impact companies in the tech industry and (ii) a practical understanding of how to provide legal and strategic advice in your role as outside or in-house counsel.

This class will be simulation based and experiential in nature, involving a combination of: lectures, group discussions, class field trips, in-class presentations, cap table creation, contract drafting, a mock negotiation of a financing term sheet, and introductions to industry players. Prior guest lecturers have included the General Counsels of Kickstarter, VICE Media, Palantir, Tumblr, Expa, Via, Chobani, Thrive Capital, Firstmark Capital, Gilt, FourSquare, and WeWork, as well as the entrepreneurs who founded General Assembly, DayBreaker, Bread, Casper, Sawyer, and PopTip.

NOTE TO STUDENTS: This class is designed both for students focused on a career in the technology industry and for those simply interested in the subject matter. Thus, no prior knowledge or previously demonstrated experience in start-ups or the tech industry is required.

The course will be taught by Palantir’s in-house counsel Sean Stenstrom and Shawn Pelsinger, and Skadden partner Ryan Dzierniejko.

Professor Stenstrom will be selecting students from the waitlist.