Michael is a highly regarded corporate attorney whose practice is centered on representing emerging and high-growth technology companies, venture capital firms, and investors in a broad range of complex transactions. His work spans the full corporate lifecycle—from formation to exit—and reflects deep experience in venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.
Fashioned as a silent co-founder, Michael counsels founders, executive teams, and boards of directors at every stage of a company’s evolution. His guidance covers everything from pre-incorporation structuring and equity incentive planning to strategic commercial arrangements, employment matters, governance best practices, and capital raising strategies. Michael also acts as lead counsel to numerous high profile venture capital investors in connection with early-stage and growth equity investments as well as fund portfolio management and exit counseling.
A seasoned dealmaker, Michael advised on over 425 venture financing transactions over the last 5 years, with deal proceeds exceeding $2.5 billion—making him one of the most active venture capital attorneys in the country, as recognized by PitchBook.
Michael’s leadership in the innovation economy extends beyond his client work. He previously served as co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Committee on Venture Capital and Emerging Companies, reflecting his commitment to advancing thought leadership and best practices in the startup and investment communities.
Before joining Morse, Michael was a member of the Technology Companies Group at Goodwin Procter LLP, where he advised cutting-edge startups and venture capital firms on transformative deals. He started his career at Cahill Gordon and Reindel, a top wall street law firm representing investment banks in connection with public securities offerings.
Follow Michael’s blog, Through the Lens of a Tech Lawyer, at mikejabbawy.com.
Representative Matters
- Represented 186 Ventures in its lead investments in WhyHow and Sourgum Waste.
- Represented Nova AI, along with its BrandGuard AI technology, in its acquisition by Sightly.
- Represented dottxt, a structured generation platform, in connection with its Series Seed investment led by EQT Ventures.
- Represented HighlandX, in its lead Series B investment in Airvet.
- Represented Camber Creek, in its lead investment in TwinKnowledge.
- Represented Coin Metrics Inc., a crypto data platform, in its Series B financing, led by Goldman Sachs.
- Represented Cloaked Inc., a consumer privacy platform, in its Series Seed and Series A financings, led by NVT, Lux Capital and General Catalyst.
- Represented Privy Inc., a marketing platform, in its sale to Attentive Mobile.
- Represented Castle Island Ventures in its lead investments in Felix Pago, Project Eleven, XFX Holdings, Nirvana Labs, Invisible Goods, TYB, Dust Identity, and other of its portfolio companies.
- Represented doDoc Corp., a collaboration platform, in its sale to Alligent Biopharm Consulting (Europe) Limited.
- Represented Hyperplane Venture Capital in its lead investments in Tive, Biobot, Dover Microsystems, Tranquil Data, Roadbotics, Volta Networks, Soft Robotics, Elucidata, Pickle Robotics and other of its portfolio companies.
- Represented Highland Capital Partners in its lead investments in Rent the Runway, Turbonomic, Leap Motion, Rethink Robotics and Remote Year.
- Represented Accomplice in its lead investments Alt Platform, Neighborschools, Teachable, Reprise, ivee.app and other of its portfolio companies.
Outside the Office
Some of Michael’s favorite things include his wife, Lindsay, and three sons, Max, Zack and Jay, spending time in nature at the beach or in the mountains, photography, and abstract painting.
Publications
Mike shares legal insights as well as portraits of the players that make up the tech ecosystem over on his blog, Through the Lens of a Tech Lawyer.
Speaking Engagements
Speaker, Preparing to Raise: Cap Table Best Practices to Help You Close Fast, Startup Boston Week 2024
Panelist, Next Generation of Legal Services, 2019 Shoobx Drive Startup Fundraising Summit
Panelist, What’s New in Early Stage Financing?, Boston Bar Association Venture Capital and Private Equity Conference
Speaker, MA Non-Compete Law Changes and Their Impacts on Early and Venture Stage Company Hiring Practices, Boston Bar Association
Panelist, Keeping Your Startup Operations Running Smoothly, 2018 Shoobx Drive Startup Conference
Moderator, Behind the Curtain: An inside look into the operations of VC firms
Panelist, How to Start a Startup, Shoobx Startup Series