We interview David Hornik on the intersection of venture capital and law. We discuss the role of the attorney in venture capital, the importance of early legal decision making, corporate governance and ESG, the power of giving, liberalizing the trading of private securities, and SPACs.

A bit about David Hornik:

David Hornik is an American venture capitalist, lawyer, educator, art collector, and philanthropist. David has an eclectic educational background. He received a BA from Stanford in Computer Music, an MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge University, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

In his early career, David worked in public defense, at Cravath, and then at Perkins, as an attorney representing startups. David then transitioned into the venture capital world. For more than 25 years, David has helped technology entrepreneurs build transformative businesses. Prior to founding Lobby Capital, he was a General Partner at August Capital for 20 years. David has sat on the board of countless companies, including multiple which had gone public. In 2013, Deloitte named Hornik the “Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Of The Year.”

David served as the Tech Curator for the TED Conference in Vancouver and co-created and hosted TEDxStanford. His investing stories have been featured in American author Adam Grant's New York Times Bestseller, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. In addition to his investing career, David teaches entrepreneurship at Harvard Law School, and business management at Stanford Graduate School of Business.