Based in the global technology hub of Silicon Valley in Northern California, Joynup Inc. is a LegalTech company offering an advanced platform that enables couples to create flexible and affordable relationship agreements. The company was established by Founder and CEO Debra Vernon, a corporate, securities, and M&A lawyer whose impressive career spans over two decades. Here, we dive deeper into Debra’s background in the wake of her success in winning Best Relationship Support Platform CEO, California.
A graduate of renowned institutions Yale University and Stanford Law School, Debra Vernon has been a corporate lawyer in Silicon Valley for over 25 years. She represents technology companies and investors in corporate and securities matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments, SPACs and de-SPACs, cross-border transactions, commercial contracts, entity formation and corporate governance. Debra is joining a renowned U.K. law firm to serve as Managing Partner leading the firm’s expansion into U.S. markets. This spring, the firm will open its first U.S. offices in San Francisco, CA.
Throughout her career, Debra has received considerable recognition for her contributions as a legal professional. For example, she was named the 2023 Securities & Capital Markets Attorney of the Year for Northern California, and listed in the Top 50 Women Leaders in San Francisco in 2022 and the Women to Watch in Silicon Valley in 2016. Debra also won a Women in Law Award in 2021 for Investments and Private Equity and a Women of Influence Award for Silicon Valley in 2016. Furthermore, she was on the team that received the Global Corporate Venture Award for Legal Firm of the Year in 2016.
Alongside her work as a legal advisor, Debra is also an ambitious and successful entrepreneur. In 2019, she was inspired to create Joynup, leveraging her extensive legal expertise and her experience in family court to develop a LegalTech platform for couples.
In the modern day, it is easy for an individual to feel like they are taking a big risk when they decide to commit to a new relationship. Rather than wasting time, money, and emotional energy negotiating a prenuptial agreement, preparing for their divorce before they have even walked down the aisle, couples can use Joynup to discuss their commitment, avoid conflict, and gain peace of mind.
Striving to make love feel more safe and less hazardous, Joynup serves as a source of “insurance” for both parties in any relationship, supporting the full life cycle of their time together. Users can leverage the platform to plan their life as a couple, with quizzes to help them make decisions, and relationship agreements formed from their answers to quiz questions.
Negotiating prenuptial agreements can be costly and even more so when they need to be changed. With Joynup, all agreements can be adjusted at no additional cost, ensuring that they are never out of date. Furthermore, they can be updated whenever the couple reaches a milestone event, like moving in together, buying a house, having a baby, deciding to invest, or founding a startup.
From the moment they become a couple, their Joynup agreements serve as a point of reference for all the decisions they have made together. Even if they choose to part ways someday, becoming friends, business partners, or co-parents rather than lovers, the couple can use the platform to reflect on their shared decisions. By following the agreements that they made with Joynup, they can break up without a battle, avoiding the hassle that comes with parenting plans, marital settlement agreements, or family court orders.
Through Joynup, Debra has successfully transformed her innovative ideas into reality, providing couples with a flexible, modern, and easy-to-use solution for relationship support. Now, she is committed to sharing her knowledge of entrepreneurship with other budding founders. To this end, she serves as a startup mentor in the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s Milestone Makers program, and supports various nonprofit organizations and startup incubators and accelerators.
Moreover, as a successful businesswoman, Debra is passionate about helping other women to succeed. For example, she helped launch the Athena Alliance, an organization that connects women executives with corporate board opportunities, and served as its pro bono counsel for three years. She also set up the LabGirls STEM Initiative, which strives to provide elementary school girls with the opportunity to learn about STEM subjects through innovative EdTech.
As a result of her incredible work, Debra has recently been named Best Relationship Support Platform CEO in the California Business Awards 2023. We are pleased to congratulate her on her success in this awards program and wish her the best of luck in the years to come.
For business enquiries, contact Debra Vernon from Joynup Inc. via email – [email protected] or on their website – joynup.com
