255S sec. 001 - Venture Capital Law and Finance (Summer 2026)
Instructor: Ofer Eldar (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
MTuWThF 10:10 AM - 12:45 PM
Location: Law 130
From June 29, 2026
To July 20, 2026
Class Number: Click to show Class Number
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 0
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 34
As of: 01/12 08:02 AM
Venture Capital Law and Finance examines the law and economics of U.S. venture capital (VC) finance, the contract structures that are used to achieve these economics, and the legal framework in which such contracting takes place. The course covers venture capital investments in start-up companies, the structure of VC-backed companies, the allocation of cash-flow and control rights, and litigation arising from unique VC arrangements. Particular attention is given to how VC contract provisions are designed to protect investors from economic and voting dilution, how they allocate merger consideration in acquisitions of VC-backed startups, and how they can incentivize subsequent investment. A central objective of the course is to build a comprehensive skill set for cutting-edge VC legal practice: students will not only study contract provisions in detail but also use Excel to model their financial impact, gaining the tools necessary to navigate complex legal arrangements and understand their economic implications for both investors and founders. The course also engages with policy debates on the role of VC firms and the governance of startup founders.
Ofer Eldar, a Professor at Berkeley Law teaches business associations, corporate finance, venture capital, and social entrepreneurship. He also serves as a senior research fellow at the Halle Institute of Economic Research (IWH) and a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute. His research interests include corporate governance, entrepreneurial finance, social impact, and law & economics.
His scholarship has been published or is forthcoming in leading finance and economics journals, such as the Journal of Financial Economics, the Review of Financial Studies, American Economic Journal: Microeconomics and the Journal of Law & Economics, and law reviews, such as Cornell Law Review and Virginia Law Review. He has presented his studies in various venues, including the NBER Summer Institute and the annual meeting of the American Economic Association. His work has been featured in media outlets such as Bloomberg and the Financial Times. Eldar’s papers are available on SSRN(opens in a new tab) and Google Scholar(opens in a new tab).
Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Eldar was a professor of Law, Economics and Finance at Duke University School of Law, and held secondary appointments at the Duke Fuqua School of Business and Duke Economics Department. He also served as a Wagner Fellow in Law & Business at the NYU Stern School of Business, and he practiced corporate law at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, and at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York.
Eldar earned his Ph.D. in financial economics from Yale University, and a J.S.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a Kauffman Fellow in Law & Economics.
Exam Notes: (F) In-class Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Business Law
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