Working with Bert Sugayan and Free Vector Advisors has been one of the most powerful and grounding experiences in my journey as a founder. From day one, Bert has shown up with heart, wisdom, and integrity. He doesn’t just advise. He advocates. He genuinely cares about his clients and always protects our best interests like a real partner should.
I came to Bert as a medtech founder with a big vision, a lot of lived experience, and a stack of challenges. Fundraising, structuring, legal, IP, you name it. What I got in return wasn’t just legal advice or business consulting. I got someone who took the time to understand my story, the mission behind my company, and the kind of impact we’re trying to make in the world. And then he rolled up his sleeves and got to work right beside me.
Bert has this rare ability to make the complex feel clear. Whether we’re talking about strategic planning, investor readiness, contract review, or big-picture decisions, he always helps me think through things with clarity and confidence. I never feel like I’m going at this alone. And as a founder who’s bootstrapped, battled cancer three times, and built from scratch, having someone like Bert in your corner matters more than I can say. If you’re a founder, especially one coming from the ground up, and you need someone smart, steady, and real, this is your guy.
Free Vector Advisors isn’t just a firm. It’s a lifeline for mission-driven founders who need strategic legal and business support without the runaround. I’m so grateful for Bert and the work we’ve done together, and I recommend him and his firm without hesitation to any founder looking to build the right way with heart and excellence.
Over the past six years, Daren Nitz and his team at Free Vector Advisors have led on all legal matters for Taqtile, helping us navigate everything from business strategy and contracts to multiple rounds of financing. He brings a rare mix of efficiency, sound judgment, and practical, common-sense advice—even in complex or sensitive situations.
As an entrepreneur, you need to minimize drama and complexity wherever possible. It sounds like hyperbole, but it is not: Daren is, without question, the most capable and pragmatic lawyer I’ve ever worked with. If you’re an entrepreneur or founder, you simply won’t find anyone better.
A good lawyer knows the law and can help navigate the ins and outs of legal matters. A great lawyer knows the law and uses that knowledge to navigate and strategize the intricacies of business. Bert Sugayan at Free Vector Advisors has been our business and legal counsel for almost 15 years and is a great lawyer. Bert has helped successfully guide us through the gamut of business scenarios, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic hirings, staff reductions, corporate client matters as well as being a good sounding board on many business matters. As a business owner, I have always appreciated Bert’s counsel and insights that went beyond the legal and helped expand my viewpoint and further our business. Knowing I can count on Bert and his team makes my business life much easier.
We have worked with Free Vector Advisors since 2017, when they represented one of our portfolio companies in a Series Seed investment. We were so impressed with their services on behalf of the company on that transaction that we now use them as our primary US legal counsel for all of our cross border investment transactions, including investments in the Artificial Intelligence (AI), online education, ecommerce and electronic refurbishment industries. They are practical, responsive and efficient and have a thorough understanding of both the investors’ and entrepreneurs’ points of view. We highly recommend them for both investors and entrepreneurs seeking legal advice.
Free Vector Advisors have been my go-to legal team for startups. They played a critical role during Intrepid’s acquisition by Alterian, a London Exchange-listed company—earning respect on both sides of the table. Bert Sugayan and Daren Nitz brought sharp judgment and steady execution throughout the process.
Later, at TenPoint7, and its spin-off, Addy.ai, they guided us from formation through fundraising, helping us negotiate multiple rounds of early stage debt and equity financings. Throughout, they delivered top-tier counsel with the focus and care of a boutique firm. Smart, responsive, and unflappable—exactly what you want in your corner.
We were fortunate to partner with Daren and Free Vector Advisors almost 20 years ago in start-up mode. He came highly recommended from one of our trusted shareholders.
He’s extremely knowledgeable and shares wisdom we have relied on, while guiding us in our exit strategy. Thank you doesn’t convey the value he’s brought!
We highly recommend Daren and Free Vector Advisors for any business seeking exceptional legal support. Throughout our startup’s journey, including some of our most challenging times, Daren provided strategic advice, proactive problem-solving, and unwavering dedication. His expertise in business law and commitment to our success have been invaluable.
Daren Nitz has been an incredibly valuable general counsel to LandTrust since our formation nearly six years ago. His practical, grounded advice has guided us through multiple financing events—totaling over $13 million—including priced equity rounds and convertible notes. Beyond transactions, Daren has been a trusted advisor through complex investor relations, strategic partnerships, and challenging moments at the board level. If you’re building a venture-backed company and need counsel who truly understands what it takes, I can’t recommend Daren and Free Vector Advisors highly enough.
Daren and Bert have helped Industrial Data Labs navigate everything from customer relationships and market strategy to investor negotiations and corporate structure. Their deep understanding of startups — and the realities founders face — has made them invaluable partners. They’ve become true trusted advisors across every phase of the company.
Working with Daren Nitz and Free Vector Advisors has been invaluable for navigating the complexities of building and growing a business. Having relied on Daren for legal guidance across multiple startups in the chemical and materials space, from initial formation through successful exits, I can attest to his exceptional expertise. Daren has consistently provided expert legal guidance tailored to the unique challenges faced by entrepreneurs and startups. His practical, no-nonsense approach ensures that legal matters are handled efficiently and effectively, allowing us to focus on our core business. Daren truly acts as a trusted advisor, offering clear, experienced counsel that is both smart and reliable. As someone recognized in the entrepreneurial community (Seattle Business Magazine Top 25, 2016 Alabama Entrepreneur of the Year, 2018 Alabama Innovator of the Year), I highly recommend Daren to any entrepreneur seeking a skilled and dependable legal partner.
Over the years, the Free Vector team has assisted us with an international demerger, formation of new companies including an offshore company, the creation of an employee stock incentive plan, on going contract reviews, responses to patent trolls and most recently, the purchase of OCG Holdings stock by Major Key Technologies. MajorKey Technologies and Oxford Computer Group (US) Join Forces – Acacia Group Due to scheduling conflicts, the stock transaction was handled by Jonathan Wright, who had very little lead time to come up to speed. Jonathan did an excellent job in all aspects; negotiating, helping manage the communications, organizing the structure of the data room and much more in getting the deal across the finish line.
Daren Nitz has been my corporate attorney through multiple startups, years of growth and two mergers.
He has all the traits that you hope to find in an attorney, experience, organization, and fast efficient responses to my inquiries. But more than that, and most important, is his integrity. He doesn’t charge for “boiler-plate documentation”. He doesn’t pretend to know everything. He researches what is needed and makes the right thing happen. His referrals have also been professionals like him… honest, capable, quick, and effective. His advice is full of wisdom.
In the last merger, Daren was my sole lawyer as we negotiated with one of the largest (and most expensive) corporate law firms in the world. He saved our negotiation in so many ways and held his own as we were pitted against several lawyers at a time.
I have recommended him multiple times to other entrepreneurs. And like me, all have kept him through the lives of their enterprises.
After nearly 25 years… he’s not just my lawyer, but a trusted friend.
I had the opportunity to work alongside Bert Sugayan and the team at Free Vector Advisors on the sale of one of their long-standing corporate clients to a publicly traded technology giant. It was immediately clear that their client placed a high degree of trust in them—and rightly so.
The transaction was exceptionally complex, involving intense negotiations with the buyer’s team of high-powered legal counsel. Free Vector not only held their ground but consistently added value through their sharp negotiation skills, deep legal expertise, and strategic approach to deal structuring and documentation. They even played a pivotal role in leading everyone swiftly through due diligence. Their creativity and problem-solving ability were crucial in navigating several significant hurdles along the way.
Thanks to the unwavering commitment and excellence of Bert and his colleagues, the client achieved an outstanding result. I wholeheartedly recommend Free Vector Advisors to anyone seeking top-tier legal and business advisory services.
As the founder of a tech startup, I had the pleasure of working closely with Daren and team during a critical stage of our company’s development. Their legal expertise, particularly in startup formation, fundraising, and M&A, was instrumental in helping us navigate complex issues with clarity and confidence. Daren consistently demonstrated sharp legal insight, a practical approach to problem-solving, and an exceptional ability to communicate legal concepts in a way that was accessible and actionable for our team. I highly recommend them to any startup seeking a knowledgeable, responsive, and strategic legal partner
In the 20+ years of my entrepreneurial journey, Daren and Bert at Free Vector have helped me build three startups, as general counsel, taking care of each ventures’ legal work related to fundraising, board work, contracts, and M&A. The best thing about Free Vector is that they are small business friendly lawyers that put common sense business needs ahead of convoluted legal agreements ensuring speed and affordability. In the last five years, I recommended them to two other startup founders that are getting the same help from Free Vector towards building their companies.
There are so many ways to mess up when you’re starting, operating, and growing a business. Success isn’t a solo sport, and Bert and the team at Free Vector Advisors have helped me navigate high-stakes, complex business and legal situations for years. As fractional general counsel, they brought experience and insight typically out of reach for a young company. Bert has proven himself to be an excellent teacher, wise advisor, and an effective taskmaster – even when I didn’t want to listen. When one of the world’s largest, most sophisticated tech companies took interest in us, he managed our interests like his own and guided us to a rewarding and successful acquisition that was far from guaranteed. As a founder and operator facing novel, ambiguous problems every day, what I value most is a partner I can trust because of what they know, what they’ve seen, and who they are. Without hesitation, I highly recommend talking to Free Vector Advisors to see if they can become your trusted advisor too.