Biography
F. Connelly Thieman (Conn) is a creative, business-oriented attorney handling corporate, transactional and general counseling matters for emerging growth businesses. His practice includes mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, entity formations and extensive contract negotiating and drafting. Prior to founding growthGC, Conn was a member of Reed Smith LLP's Global Corporate Group, specializing in venture capital financings, commercial transactions and corporate governance matters. Conn also brings years of banking and regulatory experience as an Assistant Vice President in the Strategic Initiatives Office of PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., where he helped establish the bank’s regulatory response program following the passing of various federal reform efforts in finance, banking and consumer protection.
Conn graduated Order of the Coif and cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he was an editor of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. He was a Judicial Intern on both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, a legal writing teaching assistant, and a research assistant to Professor Arthur Hellman.
Conn is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Start-Up Law and Venture Capital Financings) and is involved in a number of local nonprofits, including serving on the Boards of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Public Theater and Riverside Center for Innovation. He understands the inner workings of early-stage companies, the challenges facing founders, and works tirelessly as a trusted partner to grow with his clients.