Elena helps founders, executives and legal teams during a seminal moment: raising capital on the public markets.

Elena M. Vespoli
Elena M. Vespoli
Associate
New York
P+1 646 490 9092
Elena M. Vespoli

Elena is a senior associate in Gunderson Dettmer’s New York office. Elena represents public companies in capital markets transactions, SEC reporting and ongoing disclosure matters. She has worked with issuers and underwriters on numerous public and private securities offerings, including IPOs, follow-on offerings, ATM programs, PIPEs, 144A/Reg S offerings, and registered direct offerings. Elena also provides clients with corporate governance advice and general corporate counseling, and has significant experience in Latin American capital markets transactions.

Many start-ups have worked with Gunderson from their earliest days as a company. When a company is ready to explore their debut on the public markets, Elena joins the team. She leverages the firm’s deep knowledge of the client’s business, mission, and transaction history to bring efficiencies to a client’s IPO process and its preparations for public-company life. The continuity helps clients spot and address potential diligence and disclosure issues in the run-up to a securities offering. Elena also helps founders and their legal teams benchmark their talent, processes, and capabilities against the rigorous requirements for publicly listed companies.

For companies interested in an IPO, Elena brings years of experience working with the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, especially the agency’s life sciences and technology offices. Elena helps clients anticipate likely questions during the SEC review stage and respond to them efficiently, helping companies avoid unnecessary review cycles.

Elena 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.

Elena’s recent representative matters include:

  • $90.7 million registered direct offering for Guardant Health
  • $256 million follow-on offering for Flywire
  • $12 million and $69 million private placements for Alimera Sciences
  • $100 million initial public offering for Backblaze
  • $103 million de-SPAC business combination for Shapeways Holdings

Elena is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Pennsylvania. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian and French. Elena was selected as a Securities & Corporate Finance “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2023.

Outside of work, Elena is on a mission to explore every wine bar in the New York metropolitan area. She also spends time with Harley Quinn, her Chihuahua mix, who occasionally joins Zoom calls with her unique perspective on capital markets transactions.

Education

  • University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Romance Languages - Spanish and Italian
    • with distinction