Erik Swanson

Board Member & Counsel

Erik Swanson is a bilingual business attorney who counsels private emerging and growth-stage companies on corporate, finance, and securities issues in both Spanish and English. He focuses on pre-formation planning, entity formation, securities compliance, corporate governance, leasing and contractual issues, distribution agreements, and general day-to-day business advice. 

Erik lived in Guatemala for over 5 years where he ran a successful consumer goods wholesale company and spearheaded a rapid growth transition into the retail sector. He managed over 100 employees and opened 7 new retail points of sale. He worked closely with the Human Resources and IT departments to build out personnel and IT infrastructure to attain business efficiencies and improve profitability. During his time in Guatemala Erik also advised local law firms and banks in US business transactions, and taught U.S. Business Law at a leading law school.

Passionate about education and sustainable development, Erik founded Roots & Wings International, a non-profit that promotes community development in rural Guatemala through access to education and development programs. The organization provides dozens of university scholarships, after-school tutoring to hundreds of school-aged children, purified water to 6 communities, and micro-lending to dozens of micro-enterprises for the purpose of promoting local economic development.

His language skills and multicultural business and nonprofit experience give Erik a unique perspective in counseling clients in transactions and business activities that require creative solutions.  

Erik joined the Starve Ups Board in 2019 after 5 years of a Strategic Partnership between Immix and Starve Ups with Immix as the exclusive legal counsel.  Erik had not only been the primary point counsel with Starve Ups for years, but was also the lead counsel who assisted in setting up the Starve Ups Fund I and the Starve Ups Fund II.