Kristina Subbotina is the founder and CEO of Lexsy.

Seeger Gray for BI

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristina Subbotina, the founder and CEO of Lexsy, an AI-powered law firm for startups. It has been edited for length and clarity.I never planned to start a law firm. I'd been a corporate startup lawyer for almost a decade. When I left my last job at Cooley, a Big Law firm, I decided I wanted to join a VC fund as an investor.To help attract potential portfolio companies, I started sharing legal tips for startups on social media. It worked, but all of the founders who reached out to me wanted legal support, not an investor. Some even started offering equity in addition to cash for my services.

Subbotina began sharing legal tips on social media.

Seeger Gray for BI