Ariana Shaffer is a corporate attorney who advises startups and high-growth technology companies on venture financings, corporate governance, commercial transactions, and emerging technology strategy. She serves as outside general counsel to early-stage and growth-stage companies, providing pragmatic, business-aligned counsel on fundraising, contract negotiation, equity compensation, and day-to-day operational needs. Ariana’s approach blends sophisticated legal judgment with a deep understanding of how fast-moving companies build, scale, and manage risk. 

Previously, Ariana served as Senior Corporate Counsel at Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), where she led securities compliance, corporate governance, equity administration, and public-company reporting. She managed all SEC filings—including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and proxy statements—and advised executive leadership on investor communications, ESG matters, commercial partnerships, and marketing initiatives. Her role included oversight of board governance processes and strategic counseling on evolving regulatory, data privacy, and AI-related developments across the clean-energy and technology sectors. 

Ariana also brings hands-on experience from the startup ecosystem. As the founding attorney at Tome, a legal AI company acquired by AngelList, she built and led the legal function, partnering directly with engineering teams to help train an LLM-powered legal tool. She advised on product development, data-privacy compliance, model-training practices, and go-to-market strategy, while also driving thought leadership and industry engagement on AI and emerging technology issues. 

Ariana began her career at Cooley LLP, where she led venture financings, secondary transactions, M&A, and IPO-readiness projects for high-growth and pre-IPO technology companies. She advised founders, executives, and in-house teams across governance, commercial contracts, employment, and equity compensation, and contributed to IPOs for companies including Root, PagerDuty, and Medallia. Her background provides clients with a sophisticated yet practical advisor who can operate across the full lifecycle of a technology company—from formation through late-stage growth and liquidity events.

EDUCATION

• J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2018

  • Halloum Negotiation Competition Winner

  • California Law Review Publishing Editor

  • LCLD Scholar; Dean’s Fellow

  • Initiative for Legal Corporate Sustainability, Legal Intern (Santiago, Chile)

• B.A., Political Science, Vanderbilt University, 2014

  • Chancellor’s Scholar

  • Dean’s List

  • Fulbright Summer Institute Scholar

  • Resident Adviser

  • Tour Guide

​ADMISSIONS

• ​ California