Jon Gavenman is a seasoned corporate attorney and partner at Cooley, where he’s been advising startups and public companies since 2008. With a career spanning more than three decades, Jon has had a front-row seat to Silicon Valley’s evolution—helping companies scale, navigate acquisitions, and raise capital.Starting as a math major at Pomona College before earning his JD from UC Hastings, Jon entered the legal field right as the tech industry was taking off. He built his expertise at Wilson Sonsini before joining Venture Law Group, a firm that pioneered taking equity in exchange for legal services, and later transitioned to Heller Ehrman before landing at Cooley.Jon has worked on major deals, including Halcyon's $100M Series C, Logic.io's $25M Series B, and G2’s $157M Series D, helping companies from early-stage financing through IPOs and acquisitions.In this episode, we discuss Jon's career, the business development side of law, and what makes a great long-term legal partner. Jon also shares his perspective on how partners approach client relationships and the key considerations for early-stage companies looking to scale. We hope you enjoy the episode.