FounderMatthew C. McElwee
We cut the fat, so founders get exactly what they need, and nothing they don't.
Matthew McElwee is the Founder and Managing Partner of Founders Law, where he advises founders, startups, growth-stage companies, and venture capital funds. His approach is practical, business-focused, and built around helping clients move quickly without sacrificing quality.
As outside general counsel, Matt often serves as the primary legal advisor for his clients, quarterbacking everything from entity formation and commercial contracts to hiring, compliance, and capital raises, while coordinating with specialists as needed. Drawing on experience as a founder, investor, and operator, he brings a real-world perspective to the legal and strategic challenges companies face as they grow. In 2020, he founded Founders Law to deliver high-quality, pragmatic legal counsel tailored to early-stage and emerging companies.
What Matt works on
M&A
Learn more →Education
- J.D., Business LawChicago-Kent College of Law2016
- B.A., Business AdministrationSIU Edwardsville2012
Bar admissions
- Illinois, 2016
Previously
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
- McDonald Hopkins LLC
Honors & recognition
- Honors Scholar, Chicago-Kent
Representative matters
- Led representation of a Series C-stage company in a $20M equity financing.
- Guided a food and beverage startup through a complex internal restructuring, convertible note raise, and concurrent spin-out.
- Advised on a $400M Series D follow-on investment for a high-growth client.
- Served as outside general counsel to a cosmetics company, supporting growth from 12 to 120 employees.
- Represented the buyer in two concurrent acquisitions, each valued at approximately $5M.