Nicole Cadman

About Nicole Cadman

Nicole is a partner in our Silicon Valley office and focuses her practice on advising high-growth companies and their founders across the business’s lifecycle.

Prior to joining Freshfields, Nicole was the General Counsel at Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that has backed thousands of the most promising companies around the world, many of which have gone on to become market leaders in their respective industries (including Coinbase, DoorDash, Dropbox, Instacart, Reddit and Stripe).

During her time at YC, Nicole acted as a trusted advisor to startups and their founders. She helped them navigate significant opportunities and challenges, supported day-to-day needs, and spearheaded the development of YC’s internal guidance available to founders on legal topics such as fundraising, equity issuances and corporate structuring. Nicole has deep market experience, having overseen YC’s participation in thousands of venture capital financings and hundreds of mergers and acquisitions during her tenure.

Nicole is a strategic partner for emerging companies who believes in building long-term relationships with her clients. She helps them navigate the legal landscape while staying focused on their business goals. Her time at Y Combinator has given her a unique perspective on the startup ecosystem, allowing her to anticipate challenges and provide proactive solutions tailored to each client’s stage of growth.

Areas of Expertise

• Counseling high-growth technology companies on strategic decisions related to formation, governance, fundraising, equity compensation and administration, intellectual property protection and employment practices
• Advising the boards of directors of high-growth technology companies on routine and strategic corporate matters
• Advising on both company and investor-side equity financings