Based in the firm’s Denver office, Sam advises startups and venture investors — and as an active angel investor, he brings a founder-and-funder perspective to every engagement.

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For Founders‍
Sam helps founders navigate the full startup journey: formation, fundraising (SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds), hiring, customer and vendor agreements, IP protection, and regulatory issues. He’s available for the pivotal moments — closing a Series A, structuring a strategic partnership — and for the day-to-day legal and business questions that come up in between. His background in private equity M&A at Kirkland & Ellis, where he was on teams facilitating nine-figure exits, means he can help you think about the endgame from day one.

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For Investors
Sam’s investor-side work is informed by his own experience as an angel investor. His investment themes center on robotics, defense tech, aerospace, and AI, with many current seed investments sourced through YC and Harvard Business School. He’s always open to meeting founders wherever they’re starting out.

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Background
Before joining Founders Law, Sam practiced private equity M&A at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, then at a Chicago boutique focused on M&A of smaller companies, including startups. That range — from hundred-million-dollar exits to early-stage deals — shapes the practical, business-minded counsel he provides today.

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Sam is also an educator. He currently mentors founders in the Field X/Y course at Harvard Business School and guest lectures at the University of Colorado Law School. Previously, he taught Business Law as an adjunct professor through Western Colorado University and guest lectured at the University of Denver.

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Sam earned his JD from the George Washington University Law School, his BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. While in law school, he published research on U.S. investment in Chinese companies that has since been cited in reports to Congress and institutional investor publications.

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Sam lives in Golden with his wife and three young children. His favorite place in Colorado is the slopes of Beaver Creek — he loves nothing more than skiing with his kids.

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Sam earned his JD from the George Washington University Law School and his BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As part of his time in the world of education, Sam also earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. While in law school, Sam published his research on US investment in Chinese companies, which has since been cited in reports to Congress and publications by a variety of institutional investors.

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Sam enjoys living in the West Highlands neighborhood of Denver with his wife and three young children. His favorite place in Colorado is the slopes of Beaver Creek. He loves nothing more than seeing the joy of his kids as they fall in love with skiing and rock climbing.