Bio

Michael Esquivel is a nationally recognized corporate and securities lawyer for emerging and high-growth companies. He provides strategic counseling primarily in the healthtech, consumer, enterprise, fintech and cloud & internet industries. Michael's passion for working with cutting-edge companies that are transforming industries and improving lives stems from his experience as general counsel of a venture-backed healthtech company. That inside view enables him to deeply understand entrepreneurs and anticipate their business and legal needs over a company’s entire lifecycle. An aggressive, tireless advocate for entrepreneurs and the companies and teams they have built, Michael advises clients on all aspects of general corporate and securities law—from formation and corporate governance responsibilities to equity incentives and employment issues, to IP and commercial transactions. He regularly negotiates and structures strategic transactions, including seed and venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, corporate reorganizations, and debt financings. Michael also represents venture capital firms, strategic investors and investment banks that finance these companies. Michael is particularly active in healthtech and was recently named one of nine “behind-the scenes players who can make or break a digital-health startup” by Business Insider. He also serves as an advisor to Rock Health, a venture fund focused on powering the future of healthcare. A regular contributor to Fenwick's Life Sciences Legal Insights blog, Michael frequently writes about the latest issues and trends affecting the ever-evolving healthtech industry and shares additional insights on X and LinkedIn. Michael is also the co-host of Closing Time, a new podcast that allows listeners to eavesdrop on the pitches that are reshaping healthcare. In addition to his active practice, Michael is passionate about helping the future leading startup attorneys and the next generation of entrepreneurs, teaching Venture Capital at Stanford Law School for the last six years. He also serves as a member of the Strategic Advisory Board for the UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health. Michael has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including being named a Top 100 Lawyer in California by The Daily Journal the last five years, and a top lawyer in startups and venture capital by Chambers USA and Legal 500.