Dani Fontanesi | Attorney | CIPP/E
Prior to founding Fontanesi Legal, Dani Fontanesi led the in-house legal team of an Andreessen Horowitz backed tech company in San Francisco. Prior to that, she served as Associate General Counsel of a multinational publicly traded renewable energy company. Dani began her career in the M&A / Capital Markets team of a top tier law firm.
Dani acts as external counsel to a wide range of companies, with a focus on B2B contract negotiations and data protection and privacy. Her clients are backed by some of the top VCs in the world — the same ones that launched Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Instacart, Google, Apple, OfferUp, Robinhood, LinkedIn, Stripe, Oracle, Okta, WhatsApp, DoorDash, Instacart, Airbnb, Lyft, Pinterest, and Carta. Dani views each of her clients as a partner, and she helps them grow and scale in a way that’s best for their unique circumstances.
Dani is actively involved in her community, dedicating her time, money, and voice to cancer research and patient advocacy. Dani has served on the Board of Trustees for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Southern California & Hawaii Chapter, and has helped raise over $1 million for organizations like Moores Cancer Center and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She also donates her time to organizations like the Act Now Coalition, a non-profit founded by former Google executives and backed by the Schmidt Foundation that builds innovative and user-friendly data products to address today's urgent problems.
Dani received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside, and her Juris Doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was the recipient of the Scholar in Law Award, a $90,000 merit-based scholarship. She completed a semester of law school at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon where she studied European and international laws as part of an LL.M. programme. She is a Certified International Privacy Professional in European data protection laws (CIPP/E) and is admitted to the State Bar of California. Dani was named a 2020 Business Woman of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal for her work helping startups grow, scale, and thrive.
Donna Fabian, Corporate & Intellectual Property Attorney
Donna Fabian is a seasoned corporate and intellectual property attorney, with extensive experience advising software and technology companies on a broad spectrum of intellectual property and corporate matters. Her expertise spans technology transfer agreements, software licensing, SaaS agreements, cybersecurity, data privacy, and general corporate law. As a registered patent attorney, she has served as Intellectual Property Counsel for companies such as Nanosys, Inc., where she worked under the General Counsel and VP of Intellectual Property.
With over 15 years of experience in technology law, intellectual property matters, patents, trademarks, and general business and legal matters, Donna is well-versed in the critical legal issues that startups and founders need to propel their business to the next level. Whether she’s negotiating tech transactions or advising on complex IP matters, Donna delivers exceptional quality work and outstanding legal services to our clients.
Donna’s technical expertise includes areas such as nanotechnology, medical devices, semiconductor devices, photonics, cloud-based data analysis software, IoT/bluetooth device hardware and software, navigation software, robotics, mechanical devices, nanotechnology, quantum dots, nanowires, electronics, mechatronics, optics, optoelectronics, biosensors, biotechnology, medical devices, fluidics, and mechanical devices, among others, enabling her to effectively navigate the complexities of modern technology and intellectual property law.
Donna received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a Minor Degree in Foundations of Business Administration. She received her Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University. She is a licensed Attorney in the State of California and a Registered Patent Attorney, US Patent & Trademark Office (Registration # 64671).
Nandita Nayyar, Corporate & Transactional Counsel
Nanita Nayyar is a highly skilled corporate and transactional attorney providing exceptional legal support to tech startups and in-house legal teams. With a strong focus on drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements, including NDAs, MSAs, SaaS agreements, EULAs, privacy policies, consulting agreements, DPAs, sponsorship agreements, partnership agreements, and more, Nanita leverages her comprehensive understanding of the business and legal landscape surrounding each transaction to guide our clients to their desired business objectives while effectively managing legal risk.
Prior to joining Fontanesi Legal, Nandita was an Associate at Berger Kahn, where she worked with clients across an array of industries, providing practical legal advice relating to complex commercial insurance policies, and regularly negotiated and drafted various transactional documents, including settlement and release agreements.
Nandita is constantly abreast of industry standards and changes to the ever-evolving legal and regulatory landscape impacting business and commercial transactions, and is committed to delivering practical solutions tailored to the needs of each client, fostering positive relationships built on trust and integrity.
Nandita received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Juris Doctorate from Chapman University Fowler School of Law. She is admitted to the State Bar of California.
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