Venture Mechanics is a coworking space and innovation center for startups and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest.

Venture Mechanics Bellevue

Each quarter, Venture Mechanics offers a rotating series of 

 on specific topics that every startup team needs to master. These are typically 3-4 hour evening sessions given by the best of our mentors. While the workshops are intended to be taken sequentially they can be taken out of order.

Companies in the Venture Mechanics incubator are entitled to an unlimited free buffet of these workshops during their term. The workshops are also open to startups that aren't in the incubator, at the regular tuition price. Dinner is included, and parking is always free.

Can’t make it in person? Join us virtually! Use the link below to access the live stream and experience the event from anywhere. Powered by 

https://www.crowdcast.io/c/everything-legal-workshop-q1-2025

" is a high-density workshop that introduces all the contracts every startup will need to be familiar with, licensing agreements, patent and trademark protection (building your “IP moat”), common debt and equity funding structures, stock options,  Sarbanes Oxley compliance in fundraising, and more.

This workshop takes a deep dive into two vital aspects of protecting the value of the business you’re creating. Part I covers the corporate structure, stock distribution, and about 15-20 legal contracts that startups usually need to develop by the time they’re selling stock, hiring employees and generating revenue. Part II covers your trademarks, patents and other forms of intellectual property.

: Some of the most daunting tasks in creating a new startup are things like figuring out the “cap table,” equitably dividing equity between co-founders, selecting the ideal legal entity type (e.g. C-Corp vs LLC), and starting out with rigorous corporate hygiene from the get go, so it doesn’t become an obstacle to closing a funding round later. You’ll learn about all the legal documents that you’ll need to create to support your business and protect its value, spanning from employee agreements to user licensing agreements. You'll also learn about the things that every CEO should know about Sarbanes Oxley rules before speaking in front of investors.

: You’ll learn from three highly experienced attorneys how to build a fortress around your IP. Included will be “brand protection” - everything from trademarks to domain names to trade secrets. Next up, how to structure licensing agreements - especially for software companies that will rely on these contracts for the majority of their revenue. Lastly, we’ll dive into patents, including the rapidly changing landscape of AI and machine learning patentability.

Learn from a veteran serial entrepreneur, veteran startup lawyer, an expert intellectual property strategist, and a highly experienced patent attorney on the various ways of protecting and enhancing the value of your enterprise, from inception to exit. You will walk away from this workshop with a checklist of legal documents you’ll need to create and filings you’ll need to make in order to comply with the law, optimize your investors’ and founders’ pre-tax and after-tax returns, protect your intellectual property assets, and minimize your overall business risks. 

Principal Attorney, Audentes Fortuna Law PLLC

​One ticket entitles you to bring up to two founders from your startup.

​Free and convenient parking is always available at Venture Mechanics. The course begins promptly at 5:30pm, but feel free to arrive up to an hour early to network with the instructors and other attendees. Please aim to arrive between 5pm and 5:30pm. A light dinner will be served at around 6:45pm.

Founder Workshop: "Everything Legal"

Venture Mechanics Startup Launchpad

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Workshops are free for startup teams already enrolled in the Venture Mechanics incubator