STANFORD, Calif., Tuesday, May 26, 2026 — As companies stay private longer and private capital plays an ever-larger role in financing our innovation economy, some of the most consequential issues in business and governance are now emerging outside the public markets. To help bring greater clarity, rigor, and practical insight to this critical part of modern finance, Stanford Law School today announced the launch of the Private Capital Initiative (PCI), a new program housed at the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance that will study the private capital ecosystem and its legal, governance, and policy implications.

Robert Bartlett, W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business and faculty co-director of the Rock Center, will serve as PCI’s faculty director. Scott James, an experienced industry executive and venture capital lawyer, joins Stanford Law School as the institute’s founding executive director.

PCI brings together investors, operators, lawyers, regulators, policymakers, and scholars to engage with the toughest questions facing private capital and help make this segment of capital markets more transparent and trustworthy. The initiative will advance that mission through curated convenings, research, executive education, and governance and policy initiatives focused on the future of private capital markets.

“Stanford Law School has long been a place where scholars, practitioners, and policymakers come together to address complex problems at the intersection of law, business, and society,” said George Triantis, JSD ’89, the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School. “The Private Capital Initiative builds on that tradition by focusing on a part of the economy that is growing in importance but remains less visible than the public markets. We are delighted to welcome Scott James to help lead this important work.”

PCI is believed to be the first law school program devoted to the private capital ecosystem and its legal, governance, and policy implications. Its launch marks a significant expansion for the Rock Center, long known for its work on public-company governance and signature programs such as Directors’ College.

“Private capital has helped build some of the most important companies and technologies of our time, but it is also increasingly opaque, complex, and consequential in ways we do not yet measure well or fully understand,” said Bartlett. “The goal of the PCI is to create a trusted, independent platform for advancing research, shaping policy discussions, and improving governance practices. We want to be an advocate when the system works, a challenger when it does not, and a force for making private capital work better.”

“I have spent my career inside the private capital ecosystem, working with funds, founders, operators, and regulators as these markets have exploded in scale, complexity and importance,” said James. “Joining Stanford to help build PCI is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shift my focus from the day-to-day work of private capital and help create a platform that can support the ecosystem with independence and practical insight.”

The launch comes as private capital has moved from a niche corner of finance to a central feature of the global financial system, James said. Venture capital, growth equity, private equity, and private credit now play a major role in how companies are formed, funded, governed, and kept private longer. That growth has created new opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors, he said, while often raising hard questions about disclosure, valuation, liquidity, conflicts of interest, investor protection, and regulatory oversight.

James draws on two decades of hands-on experience at the center of the private capital ecosystem, spanning fund management, startup financing, exits, regulation, and legal strategy across global markets. Before joining Stanford, he was a partner and chief operating officer at Goodwater Capital, where he continues to serve as a Venture Partner. At Goodwater, he led day-to-day firm operations and drove key strategic initiatives – from fundraising and deployment to portfolio management and liquidity – while building the operational infrastructure to scale the firm. He earlier held senior legal roles at Accel and DCVC, where he structured, negotiated, and executed transactions across the globe, and worked closely with portfolio company management teams on legal, operational, and regulatory matters. He began his legal career at Gunderson Dettmer, advising early- and growth-stage startups and leading venture capital funds on financings, M&A, capital markets transactions, and corporate governance. James has also served as an adjunct professor at both UC Law San Francisco and Berkeley Law, co-chairs the advisory board of the UC Center for Business Law SF, was as an executive fellow at the Berkeley Center for Law and Business,, and served on the National Venture Capital Association’s General Counsel Advisory Board.

The new initiative will be discussed at a live-streamed program featuring SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins hosted by the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance. The program will include Chairman Atkins’ opening remarks and a fireside conversation addressing key issues facing public companies, boards, investors, and market participants.

REGISTER HERE TO JOIN THE LIVE-STREAM

About Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School is one of the world’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation’s press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and a focus on public service.