Michael L Platt

Mike is partner in charge and head of the business and finance group in Cooley’s Colorado office. Mike represents emerging companies throughout their life cycle, with a particular emphasis on exit transactions, including complex M&A and public offerings.

Mike started his career in the Silicon Valley and is a nationally recognized venture capital and M&A lawyer, with clients extending to both coasts. He was recognized as a leading lawyer by Best Lawyers in America for Venture Capital Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Corporate Law; the Legal 500 US for M&A/Corporate and Commercial – Venture Capital and Emerging Companies; and Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A. Michael was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2026 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” and highlighted for his high-caliber work in venture capital and leveraged buyouts and private equity law. He also was named a Colorado “Super Lawyer” in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Mike assisted in the formation of Techstars, a leading startup accelerator, and has acted as a mentor and outside counsel to some of their most successful graduates, including SendGrid, Sphero, Occipital and Next Big Sound. Mike was a contributing author to “Do More Faster” by David Cohen and Brad Feld and “Startup Boards” by Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani.