Scott James

As Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Scott leads day-to-day operations at Goodwater and oversees key strategic initiatives for the firm across portfolio management, liquidity, and fund structuring.

Prior to Goodwater, Scott held senior legal roles at Accel and DCVC, advising seed through pre-IPO companies across global markets and helping raise billions of dollars across early, growth, and inflection‑point strategies. He began his legal career at Gunderson Dettmer, advising early / growth-stage startups and leading venture funds on financings, M&A, capital-markets transactions, and corporate governance.

Scott regularly teaches venture capital and startup law. He has taught and co‑created programming at UC Berkeley and UC Law SF, where he co‑chairs the Center for Business Law Advisory Board. He has also served on the NVCA General Counsel Advisory Board, contributing to the Model Legal Documents that underpin much of venture capital financing today and advising on legislative and policy issues.

Scott received his BS in Managerial Economics from UC Davis and JD from UC Law SF.