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Law360 (May 6, 2020, 10:37 AM EDT )
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| Lindsay Karas Stencel |
Today's perspective comes from Columbus, Ohio-based Lindsay Karas Stencel, a partner in Thompson Hine LLP's early stage and emerging companies practice, and co-founder of venture capital startup W Fund.
What challenges has the pandemic created in your specific area of work?
As a large law firm partner who focuses primarily on venture capital and startups coast to coast, and travels that territory frequently, the biggest challenge has naturally become the lack of ability to go to various cities and experience how different ecosystems are progressing in the flesh, personally observe what they may need, and just spend the general time bonding with clients and forging new relationships.
Luckily, in the age of the internet, it is insanely easy to keep in touch with clients across the country, including seeing them via Webex and other platforms. While we cannot go see the progress different VCs and emerging companies are making in person, I can assure you that nothing stops these gritty, hardworking VCs and entrepreneurs, and as soon as we are all allowed to begin safely interacting in-person again, we will see a tremendous amount of progress (all of which has been building behind the scenes) in what feels like a very short period of time.
How are you and your family adapting at home?
Being home 24/7, all day every day, does certainly present some challenges when you have four unique and (sometimes challenging) rescue dogs roaming your house. Dogs are the real winners of the global pandemic — they could not be happier to have me home and try to join my video conferences. My clients and coworkers seem to be amused by them, but I would prefer if they would nap more and bark less.
Working from home hasn't really been too bad, honestly. My firm has made working from home fairly seamless, so it is just like being in the office, except of course for all the dogs.
What is the most creative or productive response to the crisis you've witnessed so far?
Startup entrepreneurs are incredibly resilient and creative folks. The most creative and opportunistic shift that I have seen is by a company called Aunt Flow, led by CEO Claire Coder, whose primary purpose and business line was supplying large corporate, small business and government-owned properties with affordable women's hygiene products so that women could have free access to them in any facility.
When the pandemic hit, many large facilities shifted their focus from providing amenities to ensuring safety, and Aunt Flow was up for that challenge. They shifted massive amounts of production to producing face masks to their traditional target customers so that they could provide them to their employees and keep work "flowing," as they like to say. You can learn more about their incredible story and tenacity by going to PPEwithastory.com.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization, its clients, or Portfolio Media Inc., or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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