Interview with Gary Christelis
Gary Christelis
APRIL 8, 2024 | 00:52 | Episode 3
Getting startup legal matters done right with startup attorney Gary Christelis
Gary and I discuss those earliest days of formation when you have a small group of founders who have an idea that you all are certain will change the world. To do that you need to form a company which is a legal entity and there are lots of regulations and legal matters you need to get right without fail. So you really do need an attorney helping you at the start.
ABOUT MY GUEST
Gary Christelis has over 30 years experience with start-ups in both legal and business capacities. He currently leads the commercial contracts practice as Senior Counsel at Feinberg Hanson, LLP, a Boston, MA based boutique corporate law firm. Previously, he served in CEO, COO, and General Counsel roles with several high tech start-ups and emerging technology companies. He is also active in the Boston start-up community as an angel investor and has advisory roles with several high tech start-ups in New England and New York. Drawing on being on the frontlines with start-ups and high-tech companies, Gary brings a wealth of practical business and legal experience to a wide diversity of commercial and contractual issues confronting both early and later stage companies, particularly in the areas of technology licensing, development, distribution, and sales.
Takeaways
You have a small group of founders with an idea that will change the world
You need to form a company which is a legal entity and there are lots legal matters to get right
You really do need an attorney helping you at the start
Make sure things having to do with founders are carefully buttoned up to avoid animosity or worse
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:19 Importance of Critical Agreements at Formation
05:32 Founders' Roles and Responsibilities
07:33 The Need for Legal Counsel at the Beginning
09:24 Risks of Shared Workspaces
11:44 Challenges in Determining Founders
21:04 Conflicts Among Founders
23:02 Arrogance and its Impact
26:20 Importance of Non-Disclosure Agreements
27:00 Running Out of Cash
28:09 David vs Goliath Situations
29:16 Navigating David vs Goliath Situations
30:09 Dealing with Slow-moving Companies
32:59 Negotiating Agreements with Big Companies
33:33 Handling Disagreements with the CEO
36:05 Maintaining Loyalty to the Company
37:48 Lessons from Dover
47:37 The Importance of Relationships
49:57 The Joy of Startups
51:31 The Role of Lawyers in Startups
