OverviewLandon is an emerging company and venture capital attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich, where he practices in the firm's Venture Best and Corporate groups. Based in Denver, Landon advises startups, founders, and growth-stage companies across the company lifecycle, from incorporation through exit, on equity financings, venture capital transactions, and mergers and acquisitions, with experience across 50+ startup transactions on both the company and investor side, including SAFE financings, convertible note financings, and Series Seed through Series C priced rounds.
During law school at the University of Colorado Law, Landon served as a director at the Deming Center Venture Fund, a student-run VC fund investing in early-stage Colorado companies, and as a student attorney in the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, providing transactional legal services to Colorado startups. He also worked as an academic associate for Ensemble Innovation Ventures, a Denver-based venture fund, gaining hands-on exposure to fund-side investing before joining Michael Best as a summer associate.
Landon brings a founder's perspective to his practice, having founded a startup to solve a common problem for college students: the lack of safe places to store jackets and outerwear at bars. Before law school, he founded the Downriver Project, a nonprofit focused on protecting the water quality in rural northern Florida waterways. Having navigated numerous startup decisions himself, he understands the value add of excellent legal services and aims to give founders the kind of practical advice a great in-house counsel would.
Landon works with founders, investors, venture capital funds, and emerging businesses throughout the Colorado startup ecosystem on venture financings, SAFE agreements, convertible notes, cap table management, equity compensation, and general outside counsel matters.
Experience
- Representing venture-backed companies on Series Seed, Series A, and follow-on equity financings, including priced rounds and multi-investor transactions
- Drafting and negotiating SAFE and convertible note financings, including side letters and investor-specific terms
- Advising companies on entity formations, conversions, and restructurings undertaken in connection with venture financings, including Delaware corporation formations and LLC-to-C-Corp conversions
- Assisting companies with cap table and equity-related issues arising in financings, including advisor grants, redemptions, and equity approvals
- Counseling founders and boards on post-financing governance and equity matters, including board composition, equity issuances, and advisor arrangements
- Guiding founders on tax-advantaged equity matters, including 83(b) elections, QSBS eligibility under Section 1202, and equity compensation structuring
Did You Know...
Landon loves rock climbing, snowboarding, and traveling. He is always ready for a new adventure. His most unique adventures include sailing through the Panama Canal and hitchhiking from Florida to California. |
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