Docusign recently finalized its acquisition of Seattle-based startup Lexion, with several former leaders of Lexion assuming new roles within the company. Gaurav Oberoi, the former CEO and co-founder of Lexion, is now a vice president of product management at Docusign. Emad Elwany, the former CTO and co-founder, has taken on the role of vice president of engineering, while James Baird, also a co-founder, is now a principal engineer. Jessica Nguyen, who served as chief legal officer at Lexion, has been appointed as the deputy general counsel for AI Innovation and Trust at Docusign. This acquisition was part of Docusign’s strategy to integrate Lexion’s AI-powered contract management technology into its Intelligent Agreement Management Platform.
Lexion, a spinout of the Allen Institute for AI, had raised approximately $36 million in funding since its establishment. The company saw significant growth, tripling its revenue in 2022, and secured a $20 million round of funding in April 2023. Initially focused on assisting legal departments with contract management, Lexion expanded its services to support individuals in sales, IT, finance, and HR with managing contracts and other documents such as RFPs and questionnaires. The completion of the acquisition and the integration of Lexion’s technology into Docusign’s platform mark a significant milestone for both companies.
In addition to the changes at Docusign following the acquisition of Lexion, there have been other notable personnel changes in the Pacific Northwest business community. Shaun McCarthy, who previously held leadership positions at Nokia and Cisco, has joined Seattle-based wireless network company Spectrum Effect as president and chief revenue officer. Spectrum Effect, founded in 2015, focuses on helping mobile network operators mitigate interference and raised $1.9 million in funding last year. Shahar Ronen, a seasoned product leader with experience at companies like Plaid and Remitly, has joined SoFi as a principal product manager.
Karen Clark Cole, co-founder of Blink, a user experience research and design firm, announced her retirement as CEO after 24 years with the company. She expressed her continued support for Blink as an advisor during the transition period. Karina Martija-Harris, formerly a program manager at Washington Maritime Blue, has stepped down from her role at the public-private coalition promoting marine-related technologies. Garett Ochs, previously CEO of robotic food startup Picnic, has joined Reflex Robotics as the principal R&D mechanical engineer. Furthermore, Dr. Guillaume Mauger has been appointed as the director of the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, bringing his expertise as a research scientist at Climate Impacts Group to this important role.
Seattle venture firm Ascend welcomed Thomas Stahura as an analyst, following his co-founding of Quasi and Pondr. Zachary Cohn, a seasoned startup veteran in Seattle, has joined food storage startup Tomorrow as the director of product after serving in product leadership roles at Spark Hire and DemandStar. These personnel changes reflect the dynamic nature of the Pacific Northwest business landscape, with individuals transitioning to new roles and bringing their expertise to different organizations. The ongoing growth and development of companies in the region, such as Docusign and Spectrum Effect, highlight the continued innovation and expansion within the local business community.
