Brian Heller, Esq.

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Brian Heller has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer and business development executive in Digital Media, SaaS, Ad-Tech, Cloud Services, Online Advertising, eCommerce, Streaming Media, Social Media, Software, and general Tech, including work for Shearman & Sterling, Akin Gump, AOL, and Private Equity owned startups. 

Brian’s experience at Outside GC spans industries such as: SaaS, Digital Media, Advertising & Ad Tech, ECommerce, Big Data, IoT, Cloud Services, Hardware, Software, Retail, Development, Energy, Healthcare, Government Contracting, Rare Coins & Collectibles, b2b, b2c, etc.

Including clients such as: 

• Axios (digital media & ad tech) 

• Amadeus/TravelClick (SaaS/cloud travel tools/data) 

• Jericho Security (generative AI meets cybersecurity) • Stark Lab (SaaS based accessibility tools) 

• Arcus (AI data tools) 

• Willow Tree (app and web development) • TitleWise (SaaS title management tools) • Maptycs (SaaS risk management data) 

• Ascena (retail & e-commerce (Ann Taylor, LOFT)) 

• Brookfield (Renewable Energy, PE, Infrastructure) 

• Senseware (IoT sensors to digitize your space) • CELITECH (mobile virtual eSIM cards) 

• Pediatrix Medical Group (medical services) 

• LogicMark (lifesaving medical monitoring devices) 

• RELI Group (GovCon project management) 

• Global Justice Solutions (GovCon big data) 

• David Lawrence Rare Coins (e-commerce & auctions) 

• CAC Grading (collectibles grading services) 

• BDG Media (digital media & advertising) 

• Gannett (digital media & ad-tech; USATODAY.com & 100+ daily and 1,000+ weekly local news sites)

Before joining Outside GC, Brian was in charge of all legal transactional work, corporate development (CorpDev) and business development (BizDev) matters for GlobalSpec, a private equity owned (by Warburg Pincus) b2b web business, where he served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Business Development. Brian left the company after successfully helping GlobalSpec find a buyer and sell for $135mm. 

Prior to GlobalSpec, Brian worked for AOL for 12 years in senior legal and business development roles. As Assistant General Counsel at AOL, he managed a team of 6 attorneys and 4 paralegals responsible for negotiating and drafting all advertising, e-commerce and search related transactions, worth approximately $1 billion in annual revenue. As VP Business Development at AOL, he managed a team of 13 people that supported all transactions for all of AOL’s web content properties, negotiating and closing over 400 deals per year for over 75 different websites & brands. 

In 2005, while at AOL, Brian was first to patent the idea of customizing video football highlights to each user’s fantasy football roster (US 07988560) (see: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7988560). 

Before AOL, Brian worked as a corporate lawyer for Akin Gump in Washington, DC, doing general corporate transactional legal work, including IPOs, debt offerings, joint ventures, and a wide variety of commercial transactions. 

Brian started his career in corporate law at Shearman & Sterling in NYC, where he specialized in drafting and negotiating project finance transactions and multi-bank syndicated loans up to $1 billion, including a loan to Michael Jackson to finance production of certain MTV videos. 

Brian has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a JD from Boston University, where he graduated cum laude in the top 10% of his class. 

Brian is originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio (near Cleveland), and has lived in Michigan, Boston, New York City and Washington, DC. He now lives in Vienna, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.) with his wife, Stacey (who is also a lawyer for Outside GC) and their two kids. He spends his free time serving as an advisor to several startups, ventures and non-profits. One of these non-profits, Chess 4 Charity, Inc. (www.Chess4Charity.org), was created by his children, so he holds the unenviable position of working for his kids!