VC Demystified: What the Term Sheet Is Really Saying with Stephen Tallon

In this episode, we sit down with Stephen Tallon, a Partner at McCann FitzGerald, one of Ireland's leading law firms, where his practice focuses on emerging companies, venture capital, and M&A. Stephen trained in Ireland before spending almost a decade in London at Orrick, a global firm with deep roots in Silicon Valley, where he worked on some of the biggest deals across Europe and the US — including transactions involving Stripe, Revolut, and Salesforce Ventures. He's since returned home to Ireland with his family and joined McCann FitzGerald, which has one of the largest and most experienced emerging company and VC teams in the country, advising founders from pre-seed all the way to exit.

In this conversation, we get into the legal side of fundraising that most founders overlook until it's too late. We cover:

• What investment readiness actually means from a legal standpoint, and what VCs are really evaluating in those first conversations

• Why your cap table could make or break a deal before it even gets started

• What founders consistently get wrong before and after signing a term sheet

• The key terms founders should push back on and which ones are genuinely non-negotiable

• What a Delaware flip actually involves for Irish companies pursuing US investment, and when to do it

If you're an Irish founder thinking about raising investment, this episode is packed with practical, honest advice on how to protect yourself and set your company up for the long run.

About Stephen Tallon

Stephen Tallon is a Partner at McCann FitzGerald LLP, where he focuses on emerging companies, venture capital, and M&A. He trained in Ireland before moving to London in 2017 to join Orrick, a global law firm headquartered in San Francisco, where he spent almost a decade advising on landmark transactions across Europe and the US with companies including Stripe, Revolut, Butternut Box, Graphcore, Salesforce Ventures, and Macquarie. Now back in Ireland, Stephen works with founders and investors at every stage, from pre-seed through to exit.

About McCann FitzGerald

With over 640 people across four countries and more than 480 lawyers and legal professionals, McCann FitzGerald LLP is one of Ireland's premier law firms. Operating from offices in Dublin, London, New York, and Brussels, the firm provides expert legal counsel to clients in Ireland and around the world across corporate, banking and financial services, disputes, and real estate. McCann FitzGerald has a long-standing reputation for innovation and excellence, and its emerging company and VC team is one of the largest and most experienced in Ireland.

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