Biography
Scott James is the Founding Executive Director of the Private Capital Initiative at Stanford Law School and draws on two decades of hands-on experience at the center of the private capital ecosystem, spanning fund management, startup financing, exits, policy and regulation, and legal strategy across global markets.
Before joining Stanford, Scott was a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Goodwater Capital, a consumer technology-focused venture capital firm investing across North America, Europe, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In that role, he led day-to-day firm operations and drove key strategic initiatives — from fundraising and deployment to portfolio management and liquidity — while building the operational infrastructure to scale the firm. Earlier in his career, Scott held senior legal roles at Accel and DCVC, where he structured, negotiated, and executed transactions across the globe, and worked closely with portfolio company management teams on legal, operational, and regulatory matters. He began his legal career at Gunderson Dettmer, advising early- and growth-stage startups and leading venture funds on financings, M&A, capital markets transactions, and corporate governance.
Scott regularly teaches venture capital and startup law, having taught and co-created programming at UC Berkeley and UC Law SF, where he previously co-chaired the Center for Business Law. He also served on the NVCA General Counsel Advisory Board, advising on legislative and regulatory priorities and contributing to the Model Legal Documents that form the backbone of venture capital financing today.
Scott received his BS in Managerial Economics from UC Davis and his JD from UC Law SF.
