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Are you curious about what corporate lawyers actually do—and how to become one? Lindsey S. Mignano from SSM, Will Newsom from Cooley, Danny Lopez from Orrick, and Ali Alemozafar from Wilson Sonsini, discussed everything from fund formation, startup financings, patents, and private equity/M&A deals. Panelists demystified the career path to transactional law, shared insights on what skills matter most, and offered practical advice for students and early-career lawyers interested in deal work.
Lindsey S. Mignano presented a "Flips and Financings" session for the SwissNex cohort in San Francisco. This invite-only, tailored session targeted Swiss entrepreneurs interested in either accessing the American market or raising capital within the United States, detailing specific incorporation strategies like setting up a subsidiary or performing a Delaware flip. Lindsey discussed various stages of a company's funding lifecycle, outlining practical steps for entities at different stages, from self-funding to securing venture capital, as well as provide current updates on the venture and acquisition landscape for early stage startups.
Venture capital firms are more selective and demanding when it comes to required criteria for first financings these days. Attendees joined an informative panel where Lindsey S. Mignano of SSM discussed questions and topics such as:
Attendees joined David Harris of Aspire and Lindsey Mignano, co-founder of SSM, for a 60-minute conversation on the legal considerations founders should understand when expanding into the US. This session built context and confidence around the early legal decisions that support a smooth entry. They heard practical insight drawn from real founder scenarios and current market realities, plus a perspective on what matters first, what can wait, and how a strong foundation supports day-to-day operations, fundraising, and long-term growth.
What do tech founders need to know when they divorce their cofounders or their venture investors and board members divorce them? Lindsey S. Mignano and litigators, Elizabeth Pipkin of McManis Faulkner and John D. Pernick of Bergeson LLP, discussed how to both prevent and attack founder business divorce from corporate and litigation angles. Mediator Frank Burke of Burke Mediation moderated the panel.
Lindsey S. Mignano presented a "Flips and Financings" session for the SwissNex cohort in San Francisco. This session targeted Swiss entrepreneurs interested in either accessing the American market or raising capital within the United States, detailing specific incorporation strategies like setting up a subsidiary or performing a flip. She discussed various stages of a company's funding lifecycle, outlining practical steps for entities at different stages, from self-funding to securing venture capital.
Life after a financing event can be both joyous and well, a lot of work. What do startup founders need to know about how to scale their businesses and teams after they receive venture capital financing? Attendees joined Lindsey S. Mignano and her co-panelists Robert Ravanshenas of Maven Ventures, Danielle D'Agostaro of WVV Capital, Akriti Dokania of Ridge VC, James Wang of Creative Ventures, and Stephen Estes of CLA for a hosted lunch and networking event where they discussed topics such as negotiating founder compensation and executive termination and exit provisions; onboarding new hires while protecting your company’s IP and competitive advantages; working effectively with your venture investors to achieve business milestones, including scaling revenue to best prepare the company for the next round; and how to prolong your financial runway between this raise and the next one, whether through cost-savings measures, bridge rounds, or alternative forms of capital. Matt Hentschel of Sequoia One PEO moderated the panel.
Running low on runway but not quite ready for your next priced round? Attendees joined Lindsey S. Mignano and co-panelists Keshia Theobald-van Gent of BDev Ventures, Pramod Gosavi of Blumberg Capital, Vijay Rajendran of gAI Ventures and author of "The Funding Framework", and Allen Plyler of Nutcracker Therapeutics for a candid panel discussion designed for founders navigating the ins and outs of bridge rounds. They dove into when and why to raise a bridge, how to approach existing and new investors about a bridge round/extension, what terms to look out for, and how to keep momentum without giving up too much equity or control. Adam Fauvre of RSM US LLP moderated the panel.
October 7, 2025 - 11:00 am - 1:30 pm PDT - "Startup Hiring Strategies That Work" at Arc for San Francisco Tech Week
Hiring and compensating the right team is one of the most critical — and challenging — parts of building a successful startup. Whether you’re hiring your first engineer, expanding your sales team, or bringing on a fractional CMO, this event will equip you with practical strategies to scale your team thoughtfully and efficiently. Lindsey S. Mignano will speak alongside Jacquelynne Suguitan of Trinet, Erica Xuechen Jiang of Loyal VC, and Monica Pool Knox of Good Trouble Ventures on topics such as when (and how) to make your first key hires to build a diverse and mission-driven team from Day 1, how to navigate salary compensation, equity compensation, and remote hiring, legal pitfalls and best practices for expansion, including onboarding co-founders and other C-level and VP-level executives at the early stage, and how your VCs can help when it comes to scaling your team strategically and efficiently. Vivek Gutheti of Pilot.com will moderate the panel. |
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