Ian Goldstein is a business lawyer with more than 20 years of experience advising emerging growth companies in the technology and life sciences industries as well as the venture capital firms and strategic investors that finance, partner with and acquire these companies. He also advises companies and institutions that are adapting to a technology-driven world on complex financial and strategic transactions and other initiatives designed to accelerate innovation and growth. Ian has led transaction teams on hundreds of venture, strategic partnership, joint venture and acquisition and sale transactions with aggregate value in excess of $5 billion. Ian’s practice is based in the growing and dynamic technology and venture market of the greater New York City region and leverages the knowledge, insights and connections of the firm’s deep roots in Silicon Valley.

He represents dozens of entrepreneurs and growing businesses in a variety of technology and life sciences sectors including software, fintech, media, digital healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Ian regularly serves as an “outside general counsel” for his emerging growth clients, handling critical business matters including:

complex IP and other business transactions
seed, angel and venture capital financings
acquisitions and divestitures
joint ventures, strategic alliances and other technology partnerships
corporate governance and board/shareholder conflicts

Ian’s representation of his emerging growth clients is informed by his tenure as the in-house general counsel of a technology startup in the early 2000s. As the company’s general counsel, he was responsible for day-to-day legal oversight and negotiated multiple financings, dozens of content acquisition and license arrangements and several strategic partnerships.​

Ian advises venture capital firms, corporate venture funds and strategic acquirors in complex financing, partnering and acquisition transactions. He regularly leads teams on transactions ranging from early stage financings in fledgling startups to large, strategic financings, acquisitions and multi-party joint ventures. His corporate venture practice includes counseling clients on the formation, structuring and strategic planning elements of corporate venture and innovation programs, as well as working with his clients on executing venture transactions, portfolio company management and oversight matters and spin-in, spin-out and other exit transactions. He is also a frequent speaker and contributor at events that support the corporate venture and innovation ecosystem.

Prior to joining Fenwick & West, Ian was a partner at an AmLaw 100 firm where he served as vice-chair of that firm’s Corporate Practice Group and led the firm's Emerging Company & Venture Capital practice team. Ian received his law degree from Rutgers University, where he graduated with honors and was an editor of the law review, and graduated from Rutgers College with a degree in economics.