Staff Counsel
Sydecar
Staff Counsel
Sydecar
Venture deal execution and back-office automation
Sydecar is on a mission to transform the world of private markets. Our goal is to make these markets more accessible, transparent, and liquid, and we're achieving this by revolutionizing the way investment vehicles are created and executed.
At Sydecar, we're not just a platform; we're a trusted partner in venture capital. We're dedicated to simplifying and standardizing the private investing experience, empowering capital allocators to discover and support visionary entrepreneurs who are shaping the future.
Our platform is designed with ease and efficiency in mind. We take care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks, from automating banking, ensuring compliance, handling contracts, managing taxes, to streamlining reporting. This leaves investors the freedom to concentrate on what matters most: making valuable deals and nurturing meaningful relationships.
Join us at Sydecar, as we lead the charge in revolutionizing private investing.
Every product we ship sits on a structure governed by the Investment Company Act, the Investment Advisers Act, and the private offering exemptions. As our customers move into secondaries, fund-of-funds exposure, and larger fund sizes, those questions get harder and more consequential. We're hiring a Staff Counsel to be Sydecar's in-house authority on them.
You'll own the fund documentation behind our products, give Product and CX fast, defensible answers, and help design the structures that let our customers scale compliantly. You'll find the path to yes on novel ideas rather than defaulting to no.
You'll report to our General Counsel and work alongside our Associate Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, with regular exposure to the CEO, VP of Product, Head of CX, and VP of Finance.
This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco or New York City with in-office attendance of three days per week.
Serve as the in-house authority on the Investment Company Act of 1940 (e.g., Section 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) exemptions, beneficial ownership look-through, qualifying venture capital funds) and the Investment Advisers Act (e.g., exempt reporting adviser status, the venture capital and private fund adviser exemptions, RIA registration, and state requirements).
Own Sydecar's fund documentation: SPV and fund operating agreements, LPAs, private placement memoranda, subscription documents, and side letters. Keep our forms current as the law and our products change.
Advise on private offering exemptions, including Regulation D Rules 506(b) and 506(c), Section 4(a)(2), and Regulation S, and on how product flows and marketing affect them.
Partner with Product on novel structures (e.g., secondaries, SPVs investing in other vehicles, solutions for customers approaching adviser registration thresholds) and translate legal requirements into product requirements.
Give CX and customers clear guidance on structural questions while acting only as counsel to Sydecar.
Track SEC rulemaking, staff guidance, and exam priorities affecting private funds and their advisers, and turn changes into updated forms, policies, and product requirements.
Build and maintain a knowledge base that explains why our structures and documents are designed the way they are.
Manage outside fund counsel where a matter needs it, and bring routine work in-house.
JD from an ABA-accredited law school and an active bar license in good standing.
8+ years of practice, the majority in investment management or private funds, at a law firm, fund sponsor, fund administrator, or fintech platform.
Deep expertise in the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act as applied to private funds and their advisers, including ERA and RIA issues.
Fluency in Securities Act private offering exemptions and the Exchange Act considerations that affect fund platforms.
A track record drafting and negotiating fund documents end to end: LPAs and operating agreements, PPMs, subscription documents, and side letters. Experience with registered fund prospectuses is a plus.
Judgment that produces actionable answers with a clear risk call, not memos that list every risk.
Ability to explain complex structures to PMs, engineers, and customers in plain language.
Comfort operating with autonomy in a fast-moving startup, where you'll often be the deepest expert in the room on your subject.
Nice to have: broker-dealer, FINRA, custody, or state blue sky experience.
Our values are important to the way we live and work at Sydecar. They guide our priorities, behaviors and interactions.
Be Committed
As a team, we rise to meet challenges and recognize that we become stronger and develop character when facing adversity.
Be Excellent
We measure our success not just by what we achieve, but by how we achieve it—through integrity, creativity, elegance, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Excellence is not just doing things well—it's looking for ways to do them better.
Be Humble
Humility is our key to personal and professional growth. We appreciate that great ideas can come from anywhere, regardless of seniority, pedigree, or experience. We care more about collective outcomes than who gets credit or who does what. We try to not let our ego cloud our judgment.
Win Together
Winning is no accident. It is the result of collective hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, and most of all, loving what we do. Winning requires that we give extra—sometimes winning calls for late nights or extra effort, and we show up for clients and each other with urgency and heart. While excellence is a journey, winning is a destination.
Sydecar is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Sydecar are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Sydecar will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Sydecar encourages applicants of all ages.
Sydecar provides a deal execution platform for venture investors that automates back-office tasks like banking, compliance, contracts, and reporting. It combines software with expert support to handle regulatory and legal work, enabling investors to focus on sourcing and closing deals. It targets emerging investors such as first-time fund managers and syndicates, offering control over investor networks by inviting only selected participants. Revenue comes from transparent, capped service fees (e.g., Blue Sky regulatory fees capped at $1,500) and access to partner counsel for customized agreements.
Explore more opportunities at Sydecar