Expert Witness & Advisory Services for Startup & Venture Capital Disputes
Independent, defensible analysis — grounded in more than 35 years of direct venture capital practice across both sides of the table — for the disputes that arise among founders, boards, investors, and the counsel representing them
Engineered for the Demands of Complex VC and Private Equity Disputes
Expert witness work designed around the evidentiary discipline, methodological rigor, and confidentiality standards that sophisticated counsel, arbitrators, and parties require.
Expert opinions on the norms, standard practices, and established customs that define the venture capital and private equity industries — grounded in direct practice and documented across the six-volume book series The Architect's Guide to Venture Capital.
Thoroughly researched expert reports grounded in methodology, source documents, and established venture capital practice. Every opinion is tied to specific facts and authorities.
MBA from Harvard Business School; dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan; venture capital career since 1998. Expertise spans twelve practice areas covering valuation, governance, fundraising, equity structures, intellectual property, confidentiality and data-room protocols, and dispute resolution.
Expert Services for Complex Disputes
Expert witness and advisory engagements across the issues that drive venture capital, private equity, and startup disputes — equally available to founders, boards, investors, and the counsel representing them.
Expert analysis of capitalization structures, share-class composition, option pools, vesting and acceleration provisions, anti-dilution mechanics, and the disputes that arise when down rounds, recapitalizations, or restructurings reset equity economics — from formation through exit.
Independent expert analysis of equity allocation, vesting schedules, ownership conflicts, and founder governance arrangements — informed by direct insider knowledge of the investor playbook and equally suited to founders, investors, and the counsel representing either side.
Expert analysis of the venture capital fundraising lifecycle — from term-sheet negotiation through closing — including process integrity, disclosure obligations, and the fiduciary considerations that arise at each stage.
Expert analysis of industry-standard practices for assembling, maintaining, and controlling access to data rooms during fundraising, due diligence, and strategic transactions — including the confidentiality, segregation, and trade-secret protections that define professional standards.
Independent analysis of startup and enterprise valuations, 409A-related disputes, fair-market-value determinations, and contested valuation methodologies — applying the analytical frameworks established in venture capital practice and recognized by courts and arbitrators.
Expert analysis of disclosure obligations and securities-law exposure across the venture lifecycle — covering private placement documentation, Regulation D compliance, control-person and secondary-liability theories under the federal securities laws, and the disclosure questions that arise at IPO, SPAC merger, and in post-IPO matters.
Expert analysis of board composition and representation, the fiduciary and disclosure obligations owed by directors and controlling stockholders, and the governance standards that define venture-backed companies at every stage of growth.
Expert analysis of investor information rights — financial reporting obligations, inspection rights, observer rights, the scope and limits of contractual access provisions, and the disputes that arise when those rights are exercised, withheld, or denied.
Expert analysis of intellectual property disputes, ownership rights, trade-secret protection, and IP valuation in venture capital contexts — informed by engineering training and decades of investing in technology and IP-driven companies.
Expert analysis of acquisition processes, sale-of-company disputes, liquidation preference structures, and waterfall calculations at exit — examining how preferred-stock economics, founder interests, and common-stockholder rights interact when transaction proceeds are distributed, grounded in board-level experience in deal evaluation, fairness review, and approval.
Expert analysis of venture-backed company solvency, wind-down obligations, the standard of care expected of directors and investors as companies approach distress, and the secondary-liability theories increasingly directed at investors in failed or distressed exits.
Expert analysis of disputes between limited partners and fund managers — covering fund formation, capital-call obligations, distribution waterfalls, carried-interest calculations, side-letter and MFN provisions, and the fiduciary and contractual standards that govern general-partner conduct.
The Architect's Guide to Venture Capital
The Forensics of Venture Capital Disputes: An Expert Witness's Blueprint for Prevention and Resolution
This six-volume, 1,500-page series provides in-depth insights into the world of venture capital investment structure.
What You'll Learn:
- ✓Spot hidden legal triggers before they can escalate into disputes
- ✓Decode structural misalignments in standard terms
- ✓Learn how to protect founders and investors from contract issues
- ✓Helpful insights from common VC conflicts
- ✓Learn structural literacy to help prevent litigation
Dependable Expertise, Tailored Solutions
35+ Years of Experience
As venture capital investor, board member, operator, and founder — through fundings, M&A, executive transitions, and wind-downs
Dual Perspective
Entrepreneur and VC investor experience informs my analysis — in conflicts involving investors, limited partners, fund managers, founders, and employees with equity stakes
Broad Practice Coverage
Valuation, founder disputes, fundraising processes, data room protocols, IP, confidentiality practices, and beyond
Confidentiality
Inquiries and engagements handled with professional discretion under applicable confidentiality frameworks — protective orders, engagement letters, and standard expert-witness practice.
