Wes is the founding partner of Gunderson Dettmer’s Austin office and represents entrepreneurs, high‑growth technology and life sciences companies, and venture investors throughout the company life cycle. Based in Austin, he advises clients across Texas and the broader U.S. on entity organization and governance, seed through late‑stage venture and growth financings, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and strategic transactions, including technology transfers, commercial partnerships, and secondary liquidity transactions. He is known for his ability to navigate highly complex legal, financial, and governance matters and distill them into clear, practical, and actionable advice for founders, executives, boards, and investors.

Wes works with companies and investors across AI and machine learning, enterprise software and SaaS, cybersecurity, fintech, healthcare, energy and climate technology, deep tech and advanced manufacturing, communications and infrastructure, logistics and supply chain technology, and consumer and e‑commerce businesses. Clients rely on him not only for technical execution, but also for judgment in high‑stakes situations involving novel issues, complex stakeholder dynamics, and fast‑moving transaction timelines, with a focus on helping teams identify what matters most, manage risk efficiently, and move forward confidently.

His experience includes representing technology and deep tech companies in seed, Series A, and later‑stage financings led by leading U.S. and international venture capital funds; growth‑stage technology companies in strategic M&A transactions on both the buy‑side and sell‑side; founders and boards of venture‑backed companies in secondary sales and broader liquidity transactions; and strategic and financial investors in minority and control investments in emerging technology and tech‑enabled businesses.

Before joining Gunderson Dettmer, Wes was a partner at a leading international law firm, where he focused on emerging technology and tech‑enabled companies and the venture and private equity firms that invest in and acquire them. He earned his J.D. with High Honors from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of Chancellors, elected to the Order of the Coif, and served as Editor‑in‑Chief of the Texas International Law Journal, and he holds a B.A. in History from The University of Texas at Austin and is admitted to practice in Texas.

Wes is recognized in the Chambers USA guide for his work with technology industry clients on M&A, venture finance, and governance, and has been noted by directories for his role in the Austin and Texas startup ecosystem.