Amanda Sanchez-Barry

Managing Partner, General Counsel

Overview

Amanda joined SBIA from the prestigious law firm, Linklaters, where she spent more than a decade on the Investment Funds team advising financial services companies and investors. The first in her family to attend university, Amanda holds a law degree from Brunel University and a diploma in legal practice from BPP Law School. At SoftBank, Amanda is responsible for overseeing the legal management and operation of the Vision Fund and for managing SBIA’s legal strategy.

Region

EMEA

Q&A

02 —

Why did you join SBIA?

SBIA reached out to my team at Linklaters in 2016, and asked us to help with structuring and raising the first Vision Fund. Afterward, I found myself craving the excitement I’d felt when I was working with the SBIA team. When you’re at a law firm, you really only work on a few pieces of the entire commercial transaction. So when SBIA asked if I wanted to join the team, I saw a chance to get involved early, shape the process, and see everything from start to finish.

02 —

What experience has helped shape your perspective on your work?

I had a son when I was 19 years old. Attending university as a single mom was a real struggle, but I did it. I worked two jobs, and still found time to do pro bono work. That experience made me realize that every problem has a solution. It might require compromise, and you’ll probably need to push yourself hard, but there is always a way forward.

There’s always incredible energy around getting a potential transaction or investment closed, and it’s my job to help push that forward.

02 —

What does “a good organization” look like to you?

Good looks like a collegial environment full of a diverse group of people working toward a common goal. That’s what we have here—people from different backgrounds who are like-minded in their pursuit of creating a positive legacy in the VC world. I’m an example. I don’t have a standard resume. On paper, I don’t fit into the VC world. But I fit in at SoftBank.

02 —

What are you doing when you’re not working?

Aside from some of the usual things—family time, travel, and food—I’m massively into LEGO. I just completed a 9,000-piece Titanic model that took me seven months to finish. I’m able to tune out everything else when I’m working on a LEGO set. I’m that way with my legal work at SoftBank, as well. It takes focus to apply rules to complex situations, but I love it. And as with LEGOs, I love being involved in projects from every angle, helping to assemble the pieces until it is complete.