Nate Dunford – Redis

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital world, Nate Dunford stands at the intersection of legal rigor, emerging technology, and corporate transformation. As director, associate general counsel, and responsible for protecting intellectual property at Redis, Dunford is playing a pivotal role in preparing the dynamic tech company for its next chapter.

Nate Dunford | Redis | Director, Associate General Counsel – Head of IP, Licensing & Product

Since joining Redis in December 2021, Dunford has leaned into the company’s fast-paced culture and embraced the challenge of balancing innovation with governance. His promotion in November 2024 significantly expanded his scope—he now leads Redis’s compliance, privacy, and product legal teams. From that seat, he supports key business and engineering functions, guiding product development, licensing strategy, and AI enablement efforts across the enterprise.

Building an in-house career, from day one

Dunford’s journey to Redis didn’t follow the traditional law firm route. While in law school at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, he already knew the firm life wasn’t for him.

“I didn’t want to drum up business,” he says. “I liked the idea of having one client from the start and working deeply within a company.”

After a series of internships confirmed his instincts, he launched directly into in-house practice—first with Adobe Systems Inc., then Rimini Street, followed by over four years as legal counsel with SS&C Technologies. Along the way, he also completed an MBA at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business to broaden his understanding of market strategy and financial fundamentals.

“I can read a balance sheet, understand what drives product investment, and speak the language of executives and engineers,” he says.

That fluency has made him an influential internal advisor—one with both legal insight and strategic awareness.

His generalist approach fits Redis perfectly. As a company built on open-source foundations but growing into an enterprise-grade software platform, Redis requires agile legal minds capable of navigating licensing, commercial transactions, compliance, and IP, all while staying current with a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

A transformative licensing shift

Dunford’s fingerprints are all over one of the most significant recent milestones at Redis: the rollout of Redis 8.0 and its accompanying tri-license model. Announced on May 1, 2025, this change returns Redis to its open-source roots, providing users with more flexibility and clarity. Now, users can choose from RSALv2, SSPLv1, or AGPLv3 when integrating Redis modules into their database, AI, and caching workflows.

It was a significant legal and strategic lift. Dunford helped spearhead the licensing strategy, ensuring the terms aligned with Redis’s business goals, fostered community goodwill, and reflected broader industry trends.

“We don’t file a ton of patents,” he explains. “Licensing is where a lot of our protection and differentiation happens.”

The new model gives Redis a more agile and transparent framework for growth. It’s also part of what Dunford sees as the company’s maturation.

Preparing for the future

The prospect of taking Redis public in the future brings with it a new level of scrutiny, and Dunford is at the forefront of helping the company mature its internal controls, disclosure processes, and compliance infrastructure. His legal team is helping Redis bolster its documentation, integrate compliance into release processes, and ensure transparent communication with customers.

“We’re getting controls in place, improving internal processes, forming new partnerships, and polishing everything from data privacy to vendor reviews,” he says.

Redis is also navigating customer expectations around speed, security, and automation—all while maintaining its open-source heritage.

“Customers want lean, responsive platforms,” Dunford says. “They want to automate, streamline, and protect their data. We’re helping deliver that.”

With around 1,000 employees and contractors, Redis is still relatively small by enterprise tech standards. That size means teams must be focused and resourceful.

“When you’re small, you have to think strategically,” Dunford says. “But we have a great team in place and senior managers pushing in the right direction.”

Growth and strategic partnerships

Beyond the legal complexities, Dunford says Redis remains an exciting place to work. The legal work spans commercial transactions, product guidance, and strategic partnerships, including a strategic collaboration with Microsoft. Last November, Redis and Microsoft announced a partnership with Azure Managed Redis (“AMR”), a negotiation that Dunford spearheaded for Redis legal. AMR gives enterprise customers a robust, scalable solution for AI and data-intensive applications.

“That was a big win for our teams,” Dunford says. “It shows how Redis is evolving into a trusted partner for global enterprises.”

It also reflects the company’s commitment to transparency and innovation. Redis puts much of its code in the public domain, allowing customers to know exactly what they’re getting. That openness, paired with new safeguards and enterprise-level features, is what Dunford believes will differentiate Redis in the future.

“Nate and the Redis team consistently challenge and inspire us to elevate the way we think about IP and open source in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Their vision, leadership, and dedication to building a future-forward, AI-first strategy push us to be more creative, agile, and bold in our legal approach. Collaborating with Redis is not just about protecting innovation—it’s about enabling it. Their ability to connect the dots between business, product, and intellectual property drives real strategic impact. We’re honored to be a part of Redis’s journey,” says Karineh Khachatourian, managing partner of KXT Law.

Dunford thrives on all challenges. Whether he’s vetting an AI vendor, reviewing a licensing request, or mapping out long-term risk controls, he remains grounded in his belief that strategic legal work is a growth enabler, not a barrier to scale.

“I enjoy the work,” he says. “It’s complex, it’s fast, and it’s meaningful. We’re building something great.”