Cody R. Peterson

Cody is a partner and a co-founder of Gunderson Dettmer’s Los Angeles office. He represents early-stage founders at every business phase, especially first-time founders navigating the corporate lifecycle from formation through financing rounds and strategic transactions, including public offerings and acquisitions.

Before law school, Cody was the COO of a health and fitness e-commerce startup in Las Vegas, and he brings an entrepreneurial and “everything is possible” mindset. He understands that legal topics are not usually top-of-mind for most founders, and he takes pride in providing practical and actionable advice that centers the objectives and realities of the business. 

Cody has represented venture capital funds and startups at all stages and in various industries, including e-commerce, fintech, climatetech, future of work, edtech, life sciences, biotech, and many more. Representative matters include:

• Advising venture capital firms like Slauson & Co. and Susa Ventures on their investments in a variety of high-growth companies.
• Advising ChargerHelp! and its founders on their journey from winning a Gunderson-sponsored pitch competition in South LA to building a market leader in operations, maintenance and workforce development for the EV industry.
• Representing MOJO Sports from its first round of fundraising through its acquisition by TeamSnap.

Cody also brings Gunderson’s industry-leading experience representing high-growth companies in their financings, IPOs and M&A transactions to every engagement, including the firm’s proprietary knowledge and tools.

Cody is active in the LA startup community and regularly coaches and mentors founders, including participants of the Plug In Accelerator, a program for Black and Latinx early-stage entrepreneurs.

Cody is a graduate of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Pomona College. Prior to joining Gunderson, he was a corporate associate at Latham & Watkins.