Ana-Maria Galeano to succeed Eric Leander at The Wagoner Firm PLLC
as Lead of Business Law & Venture Capital Division
Former General Counsel to Plug Power, Inc; Oversaw $93MM Initial Public Offering
Albany, NY – (PRESS RELEASE) – The Wagoner Firm PLLC is pleased to announce that Ana-Maria Galeano, a distinguished business and corporate attorney with over 20 years of experience guiding executive management and cross functional teams through complex global transactions, will now lead the Firm’s Business Law and Venture Capital division.
Galeano first joined the Firm as Of Counsel in March 2018 with the goal of supporting the rapid growth of the Firm’s client base and the maturing needs of its existing clientele. Since then, Ana has grown her relationships with the Firm’s clients and taken an ever-increasing role in the day-to-day counsel they seek, making this the perfect time for her to take the lead with the Firm’s business portfolio.
Galeano’s transactional and general counsel experience is second to none. She was former General Counsel for Plug Power, Inc., a fuel cell development and manufacturing company based in Latham, NY, and oversaw Plug’s $93MM Initial Public Offering (IPO), and two follow-on offerings ($61MM & $58MM). Galeano played a critical role in the formation of Plug Power, and, as the Company’s counsel, supported Plug Power’s growth from a startup of 22 employees to over 500 and the filing of many critical patents. During this time, Galeano was responsible for internal acquisitions ($45MM & $10MM), and the creation of strategic alliances with companies in Europe and Asia, including General Electric and Honda. She was also involved in raising over $100MM in private funding prior to Plug Power’s IPO, and $30MM from federal and state agencies.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to help the Firm’s clients protect and grow their businesses. I’m excited to join this fast-paced organization with a company culture that fits perfectly with my goals and our clients’ expectations. The colleagues that I’m joining work incredibly hard for our clients, and they are passionate about what they do. The Wagoner Firm is going places, and I’m happy to be joining the team,” said Ana-Maria Galeano, Esq.
In addition to Plug Power, Galeano was a co-founder and former General Counsel of H2Pump, LLC, a hydrogen recycling and pumping company, where she was instrumental in securing over $12MM in private and government financing, several patents, and the delivery of the H2Pump’s first beta products. She earned her J.D degree at Brooklyn Law School, where she was awarded a fellowship by the Law School’s Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law.
“Given her expertise and decades of high-level practice, we’re thrilled to have Ana take over the Firm’s Business Law and Venture Capital work. Ana has an impeccable reputation for advising clients on complex matters, and our clients love her. She is smart, aggressive when necessary, and understands how to meet business goals while properly mitigating risks. Her track record speaks for itself,” added Matthew Wagoner, Founding Partner at The Wagoner Firm PLLC.
Galeano will succeed Eric Leander as the lead of the Firm’s Business and Venture Capital Division who moves forward as the newly minted General Counsel for WaiveCar, Inc., a client of the Firm. Leander will continue with the Firm as Special Counsel. Both Galeano and Leander will focus on startups, emerging growth / technology commercialization, investment / venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate counsel.
On Galeano’s new role, Leander stated, “When we first started working with Ana, we were very pleased with both our working relationship and the caliber of her work; we knew immediately that we wanted to bring her further into the fold but were not certain how to do that until my opportunity with Waive Car made it obvious. Ultimately, this transition is a great opportunity for the Firm to capitalize on that synergy. Ana is a brilliant lawyer and a superb managerial talent – she has been a great mentor and resource for me.”
With Leander’s continued involvement, The Wagoner Firm will remain a mainstay within the business and innovation economy for the greater Capital Region and beyond. As Special Counsel, Leander will assist the Firm with major transactions, and with many of its early-stage and high-growth business clients, including Kirsh Helmets and Our.News.
“Eric is a fixture in, advocate for, and champion of, the entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem. His passion and purpose is to help entrepreneurs build and realize their dreams, and he has been a great resource for our clients” said Matthew Wagoner. “And you don’t have to take my word for it. Eric has helped WaiveCar since its early stages, and this new opportunity is a testament to the caliber of representation the Firm consistently delivers. We wish both Eric and WaiveCar the very best of luck.”
The Wagoner Firm PLLC was established in 2014 and provides full-service business counsel to businesses and entrepreneurs on financing (from pre-seed to venture capital), business formation, reorganization, and transactions (mergers & acquisitions), as well as bet-the-business litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. The Firm has offices in Albany, NY and New York City; their client base extends nationally and internationally.
WaiveCar is a next-generation ride-share transportation system that connects users with ad-displaying electric cars for free. Leander’s appointment as General Counsel comes on the heels of a series of major transactions by the Santa Monica, CA based tech-company in which Eric was instrumental. Last year WaiveCar was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, ultimately striking a bargain with “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary. Leander was instrumental in the post-taping due diligence and negotiation of the successful investment deal. Concurrent with the Shark Tank transaction, Leander managed a $3MM Seed Preferred funding round for WaiveCar, while also negotiating and documenting combination fleet purchase and advertisement deal with Hyundai Motor America. The transaction obtained two hundred fifty (250) pre-release Hyundai Ionic (100% electric) vehicles, which now serve as the backbone for the WaiveCar fleet in its pilot market. The fleet and media transaction, concluding with a favorable tax-credit financing arrangement, was valued in excess of $8MM. Going forward, Leander will guide the company through its Series A funding round and beyond as a member of the Company’s senior executive team. The leader shared the behind-the-scenes story in an interview for Startup Life with Ande Lyons.
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Contact
Catherine Wright
(518) 348-9634
cathie@thewagonerfirm.com
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