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Michael T. Esquivel

Partner
Corporate
Industry Co-Leader
Healthtech

Michael is a nationally recognized corporate and securities lawyer for emerging and high-growth companies.

He provides strategic counseling primarily for companies innovating at the intersection of AI, enterprise technology, healthtech, fintech, consumer, and cloud infrastructure.

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 Heart of Healthcare, a podcast that gets to the heart of our mission in digital health - to massively improve healthcare for all.

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.

Michael Esquivel is an exceptional partner for any venture-funded startup. He has excellent judgement and communicates extremely well with CEOs and board members.”
Legal 500 US
  • Member, Strategic Advisory Board, UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health
  • Lecturer, Stanford Law School, Venture Capital Law
  • Figma in its formation, seed financing through their Series A-E rounds and in its $1.2B IPO
  • Multiple financings for Sierra in the aggregate of $1.3B, including in its $950M funding and $350M funding
  • Multiple financings for Freenome in the aggregate of $1.35B, including in its $254M Series F, $290M Series E, $300M Series D, $270M Series C, $160M Series B, and $72M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Formation Bio in the aggregate of $613M, including in its $372M Series D, $156M Series C, $70M Series B, and $15M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Chai Discovery in the aggregate of $600M, including in its $400M Series C, $130M Series B, and $70M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Ambience Healthcare in the aggregate of $329M, including in its $234M Series C, $70M Series B, and $25M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Writer in the aggregate of $321M, including in its $200M Series C, $100M Series B, and $21M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Chapter in the aggregate of $284M, including in its $100M Series E, $75M Series D, $50M Series C, $42M Series B, and $17M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for AKASA in the aggregate of $252M, including in its $47.5M Series D, $120M Series C, $60M Series B, and $20M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for BRINC in the aggregate of $225M, including in its $125M Series C, $75M Series B, and $25M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Brightline in the aggregate of $207M, including in its $105M Series C, $72M Series B, and $20M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Calm in the aggregate of $190M, including in its $75M Series C, $88M Series B, and $27M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Brightside Health in the aggregate of $107M, including in its $33M Series C, $50M Series B, and $24M Series A financing
  • Multiple financings for Future in the aggregate of $107.5M, including in its $75M Series C, $24M Series B, $8.5M Series A, Seed financing, and in its merger with Autograph
  • Foodsmart in its partnership with TPG Rise and $200M funding investment
  • AKASA
  • Albert
  • Alchemy
  • Ambience Healthcare
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • AppLovin
  • Arine
  • Brightline
  • Brightside Health
  • brightwheel
  • BRINC Drones
  • Calm
  • Chapter
  • Define Ventures
  • DexCare
  • Distyl AI
  • EDX
  • Everlane
  • Evidation Health
  • Facebook
  • Figma
  • Folx Health
  • Formation Bio
  • Freenome
  • Future
  • GoPro
  • Honor Technology
  • Imbue
  • Kikoff
  • Lumosity
  • Lux Capital
  • Menlo Ventures
  • Neon
  • Notable Capital
  • Nuna
  • Refactor Capital
  • Rock Health
  • Saildrone
  • Sequoia Capital
  • Sierra
  • Threshold Ventures
  • TigerConnect
  • Vic.ai
  • Writer

Chambers USA

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