J. Wesley Jones
My passion is working with smart people who have good ideas in the tech space. I enjoy advising emerging companies with cool technology; I can see what they’re trying to accomplish and help them get there in the best way possible, whether it’s growing their business, raising money or ultimately selling their business. I understand what the client is asking for because I’ve also been the client. Venture Capital and Mergers & Acquisitions lawyer Wes Jones has represented public and private companies in corporate transactions since 1995. Wes has extensive experience working with venture capital firms and their portfolio companies in the technology, energy and life sciences industries, with a focus on emerging and venture-backed technology companies.
In the mergers and acquisitions space, Wes represents both private equity funds and other strategic buyers, as well as emerging companies in their liquidation events or IPOs.
Having seen nearly every step in the maturity process of tech venture-backed companies, Wes brings unique insight to his clients. In 1998, he took a hiatus from law firm practice to help grow the software company BroadJump through three rounds of venture capital funding and a successful merger with Motive, and then led Motive through its IPO in 2004. In 2005, he returned to V&E, where he excels at helping clients build their companies from the ground up—resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, and significant liquidity for founders and investors.
In representing software company SailPoint Technologies, Wes has helped the company grow through multiple rounds of venture funding and as it acquired other businesses before taking it public in 2017. Wes has also represented Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV) through multiple investments in the U.S. His work has earned him praise from clients and recognition from legal publications including Chambers USA, where reviewers described him as “practical and creative” and a “go-to M&A guy” (2019).
Experience Highlights
Spredfast in its acquisition of Shoutlet, a social data integration company
Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures as lead investor in the $25 million Series D financing of ConXtech, a construction technology company that develops and builds mass-customizable, modular, prefabricated and sustainable structural steel building systems
BMC Software in the acquisition of assets of CDB Software, a mainframe data management company
SailPoint in the equity investment by Thoma Bravo in the company, a provider of on-premises and cloud identity management software solutions
Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures in the Series D financing of Novomer, a sustainable chemistry company, pioneering a family of high-performance, environmentally responsible polymers and chemical intermediates
Pharos Capital Group in its acquisition of Seaside Healthcare, a behavioral health services provider
JLM-PF Partners in the formation and capitalization of a joint venture formed for the purpose of acquiring Planet Fitness franchises
YouEarnedIt, a SaaS human resources technology platform, in its $6.5 million Series A financing led by Silverton Partners and IDG Ventures
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in the £16.7 million financing of Cell Medica Limited, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer patient-specific cellular immunotherapy products
Ciris Energy, a developer of technology to efficiently convert low-rank coals to natural gas, in the $25 million preferred stock financing for the company by The Asia Pacific Capital Fund
Crest Capital Ventures in the up to $17 million preferred stock investment in WeVideo, a cloud-based, video editing services company, through a series of up to three tranches
Noesis Energy, a provider of a web-based energy-management platform that helps energy professionals track and analyze energy performance and improve energy efficiency, in its $8 million preferred stock financing with Austin Ventures and Black Coral Capital
RunTitle, the first online marketplace for mineral acreage title information, in a Series A funding led by Austin Ventures
Spredfast in a $32.5 million round of venture capital funding for the company, a producer of software designed to enable companies to manage social media campaigns and customer acquisition initiatives
StepOne, a provider of adaptive self-services that enhance online customer support, in a $4 million Series A preferred stock round of funding
ShippingEasy in the $55 million sale of the company to Stamps.com
Spredfast in its stock-for-stock acquisition of Mass Relevance, a technology leader in enabling social marketing experiences for brands and media companies
Cirrus Logic in the $26 million sale of its Apex Precision Power business to a consortium of investors led by Alerion Capital
FeedMagnet in the $9 million sale of the social media curation company to Bazaarvoice
Pharos Capital Group in its acquisition of Employee Benefit Solutions, a provider of employee benefit and wellness products for employers
iControl Networks in its merger with uControl, a developer of web-based home security systems, combining two market leaders in broadband home management
BMC Software in its $300 million acquisition of Numara Software Holdings, a provider of integrated IT management solutions for desktop management, PC lifecycle management, security and compliance, and help and service desks
Lombardi Software in the $178 million sale of the company, a leader in business process management software, to International Business Machines Corporation
International Studies Abroad in its acquisition of GlobaLinks, an international study abroad provider
Credentials
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1995 (Secretary of the Chancellors; Order of the Coif; Texas Law Review)
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.B.A., Finance, 1992
- Judicial clerk to the Honorable Walter J. Cummings, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago, 1995–1996
- Chambers USA, Technology: Corporate & Commercial (Texas), 2013–2024; Corporate/M&A (Austin), 2020–2024
- Legal 500 U.S., Technology: Transactions, 2011, 2013, and 2014; Venture Capital & Emerging Companies, 2014–2017 and 2019; Finance: Capital Markets: Equity Offerings, 2019 and 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Lawyer of the Year” Venture Capital Law (Austin), 2014 and 2020
- The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Mergers & Acquisitions Law (Austin), Venture Capital Law (Austin), 2012−2017 and 2019−2025
- Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2005−2009
- Member: Austin Bar Association
- Texas
- Rankings & AwardsJune 6, 2024
- Deals & CasesFebruary 28, 2024
- Rankings & AwardsAugust 21, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsJune 1, 2023
- Deals & CasesFebruary 7, 2023
- Rankings & AwardsAugust 18, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 1, 2022
- “Head in the Cloud: Legal Developments on the Cutting Edge of Technology,” August 2017 (presentation to an in-house legal team)
- “Where’s the Danger? Assessing New Risk Exposure Through Explosive Growth,” The Austin CFO Leadership Council, May 11, 2017 (speaker)
- “Energy Technology Roundtable,” February 23, 2017 (speaker)