David Brekke is a partner in the firm’s Technology group where his practice focuses on corporate formations, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and corporate governance for clients operating primarily in the climate technology and sustainability innovation spaces. David advises founders, investors, and companies at all stages as they bring technologies that improve our world to the market, to scale and to profitability. David also serves as a co-chair of Goodwin’s Climate Technologies practice.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
David’s transactional experience includes advising:
- Advanced Microgrid Solutions in its Series B and Series C financings*
- Advano (aka Nanostar, Inc.) in its seed funding and Series A financing*
- Aligned Carbon in its Series Seed financing*
- Ardica in its Series D financing*
- Aquarius Energy in its Series Seed and Series Seed-1 financings*
- Boomitra in its Series Seed financing
- Cruz Foam in its seed funding and Series A financing
- Dharma Labs in its acquisition by Opensea (aka Ozone Networks)
- Dimensional Energy in its Series A financing
- Dispatch Goods in its seed funding and Series Seed financing
- enLighted in its Series D financing*
- Fenix International in its acquisition by ENGIE*
- GameChange Solar in its Series A financing
- Generate Capital in its 2017 and 2018 preferred stock financings*
- Giner ELX in its acquisition by Plug Power*
- Growing Energy Labs, Inc. in its Series B financing*
- HaloDx in its Series B financing
- Helion Energy in its Series E and Series E-1 Financings
- Jaris in its Series B financing
- Just Goods in its Series C financing*
- Lilac Solutions in its seed funding and Series A financing*
- Morpher Helmet in its Series A financing*
- Niron Magnetics in its Series C financing*
- Oceanworks in its Series Seed financing
- OnCall Health in its Series Seed financing*
- Optera in its Series A financing
- polySpectra in its Series Seed financing*
- Project Frog in its Series BB* and Series CC financings
- Prometheus Fuels in its seed funding*
- PubNub in its Series E Financing
- Quantumscape Corporation in its Series D financing*
Redaptive in its 2020 bridge financing and 2020 debt facility* - Reference Medicine in its Series Seed Financing*
- Revel Systems in its Series C and Series D financings*
- Secberus in its seed funding and Series Seed financing*
- Shellworks in its seed funding and Series Seed financing
- Shifted Energy in its Series Seed* and Series Seed-1 financings
- Stem in its Series C financing*
- Sustainable Ocean Alliance in its first through fifth wave cohorts of the Ocean Solutions Accelerator*
- Swift Solar in its seed funding, Series Seed and Series Seed-2 financings*
- SwiftMile in its seed funding and Series A financing*
- Underground Cellar (aka Underground Enterprises) in its Series Seed and Series A financings*
- The Routing Company in its Series A financing
- Verse in its Series Seed Financing
- VRChat in its Series A*, Series B*, Series C* and Series D financings
- Warehouse Exchange (aka OptzzChain) in its seed funding and Series A Financing*
- Yotta Energy in its seed funding, Series Seed* and Series A financings
- a16z and Makers Fund, jointly, in Alta Reality’s Series Seed financing
- Adams Street Partners investment in Orca Security
- ArcTern Ventures in its Series A investment in Emitwise and its Series B investment in Aquabyte
- At One Ventures in its investments in Climax Foods, Cuby Technologies, Halo, Inlyte Energy, Iron Ox, Miraterra, Orbillion, Revterra, Simplifyber, and Wild Earth
- Bain Capital Ventures in its Series Seed investment in Column Tax, its Series A investments in Playbook and VISO Trust and its Series C investment in Docker
- BH3 Growth Equity in its equity investment in CarbonCure Technologies
- Creandum in its Series A investment in 8fit
- Ecosystem Integrity Fund in its Series A Investment in Ride1Up
- Emerald Technology Ventures in its Series B investments in Hydropoint Data Systems* and Spear Power*
- Lowercarbon Capital in its Series A investments in Kula Bio, Remora, River and Zero Acre Farms and its Series C investment in Zap Energy
- Makers Fund in its Series Seed investment in GenPop Interactive
- Ocean 14 Capital in its Series B investment in Bureo
- Prelude Ventures in its investments in Electric Hydrogen, Form Energy*, Holo, Quaise Energy, Thea Energy and Verdox
- Sam Altman in his Series E investment in Helion Energy
- Seabird Ventures in its formation and initial investments*
- Social Impact Ventures in its Series A investment in Samasource*
- Thomvest in its Series D investment in Ladder Financial
- TotalEnergies Ventures and Heraeus, jointly, in their Series A-3 investment in Banyan Waste Management Solutions
- Trust Ventures in its seed funding of Sana Benefits*
*Denotes experience prior to Goodwin
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Goodwin in 2021, Mr. Brekke was an associate in the Silicon Valley office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
During law school, Mr. Brekke was an intern at Environmental Defense Fund, Senior Staff Editor of the NYU Environmental Law Journal and a recipient of the Robert McKay Scholar award. During college, David was a four-year varsity letterman on the Columbia University football team.
Credentials
Education
JD2015
NYU School of Law
BA2010
Columbia University in the City of New York
Admissions
Bars
- California
Publications
- Co-Author, “2 Issues for Venture-Backed Climate Tech Startups to Avoid,” Law360, March 19, 2024
- Judge, Demo Day, LAUNCH, December 15, 2023
- Judge, Demo Day, LAUNCH, October 25, 2023
- Judge, Demo Day, LAUNCH, April 19, 2023
- Speaker, “Legal Q&A with Jason Calacanis,” Angel University, March 8, 2023
- Judge, Demo Day, LAUNCH, December 14, 2022
- Co-Author, “The 15-Minute Founder's Guide: Series A Financing Documents,” Goodwin Insights, September 15, 2022
- Speaker, "Angel Investor Ask Me Anything with Jason Calacanis," Angel University, April 4, 2022
- Author, “Pro Bono Prose,” Goodwin Insights, March 31, 2022
- Quoted, “Betting on the Post-Covid Future,” Litera Venture Capital Report, March 10, 2022
- Speaker, “Legal Ask Me Anything,” Ocean Solutions Accelerator, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, September 20, 2021
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Founder University, May 4, 2021
- Presenter, “College for Clients Series: Start-Up Dilution and Waterfall Math,” April 15, 2021
- Moderator, “Ocean Solutions for Impact: Regenerative Blue Economy,” Ultramarine Ocean Action Summit, February 5, 2021
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Founder University, June 2, 2020
- Speaker, "Fundraising and Series A Term Sheets," SkyDeck, University of California, Berkeley, April 1, 2020
- Moderator, “Oceans in the 2020s: The Next Innovation Frontier,” Cleantech Forum, San Francisco, January 28, 2020
- Co-author, "A Founder's Guide to Y Combinator's Post-Money Safes," The Entrepreneurs Report, Full-Year 2019
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Founder University, San Francisco, September 9, 2019
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University, San Francisco, June 3, 2019
- Judge, “Circular Economies Pitch Competition,” National Renewable Energy Laboratories Industry Growth Forum, May 10, 2019
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University for women founders, San Francisco, April 1, 2019
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University, San Francisco, February 11, 2019
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University for underrepresented founders, San Francisco, November 5, 2018
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University, San Francisco, August 6, 2018
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University for women founders, San Francisco, June 4, 2018
- Speaker, “Corporate and Legal Issues for Start-Ups,” Launch: Founder University, San Francisco, April 9, 2018
- Panelist, "College Athletics: Is Anyone in Charge?" NYU Law Alumni Association Fall Lecture, New York, New York, 2012