Pantea Farhi Stevenson – Upside

For Pantea Farhi Stevenson, law has never been about arguing for argument’s sake—it’s about adding value, solving problems, and helping companies grow. From her earliest days as an attorney, she’s viewed negotiation not as a contest of wills but as a thoughtful exercise in understanding the other side and clearly articulating her own to find solutions that move both parties forward while preserving her company’s interests.

Pantea Farhi Stevenson | Upside | Deputy General Counsel

“At the end of the day,” she says, “you’re trying to build something together.”

That mindset has carried her from the halls of Jones Day during the height of the 2008 financial crisis to the deal tables of Upside, one of Washington, D.C.’s fastest-growing tech companies. As Deputy General Counsel, Stevenson combines legal expertise with a builder’s mentality, creating the systems and structures that enable the business to move quickly and intelligently.

Since joining Upside in 2022, she’s helped the company streamline its commercial contracting function and reimagine how legal supports the business. She implemented Upside’s first contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, built a ticketing system for vendor workflows, and standardized agreements to drastically reduce turnaround times. What once took nearly an hour for a simple deal now takes about a minute. Those efficiencies free the legal team to focus on what matters most—complex partnerships, regulatory strategy, and guiding innovation in a rapidly changing industry.

Her leadership at the negotiating table reflects that same balance of speed and precision.

“Because” is one of her favorite words in negotiation. “You’re explaining yourself,” she says. “When people understand why a term matters, they’re far more open to finding common ground. I also love asking questions. I want to understand the other side’s objections so I can offer a tailored response.”

It’s that thoughtful communication—combined with humor and impeccable preparation—that has made her one of Upside’s most trusted dealmakers.

A scientific mind & a creative heart

Stevenson’s path to the law was anything but conventional. The daughter of two physicians, she expected to follow them into medicine. She nearly went to art school, but instead majored in neurobiology at Penn State, fascinated by how the brain processes information and psychology. But everything changed when she sat in on a friend’s property class during a visit to a law school.

“It just clicked,” she recalls. “Law combined everything I was good at—logic, creativity, communication. It felt natural.”

That spark led her to Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she initially pursued intellectual property litigation. Her science background made that a logical choice, but it wasn’t the right fit. She found herself drawn instead to the transactional world, where collaboration and creativity drive outcomes.

“Negotiation lets you shape the future instead of arguing about the past,” she says.

At Jones Day, Stevenson earned one of just three spots in the firm’s M&A group during the 2008 financial crisis—a time when few companies were buying, selling, or growing. It was a trial by fire that forged her instincts for judgment, adaptability, and speed.

“That experience gave me the grounding I wanted,” she says. “Learning to close big, complex deals when the market was unstable taught me to stay calm and think strategically under the toughest circumstances.”

Those lessons would prove invaluable later as she transitioned in-house. Stevenson always knew she wanted to work closely with business teams.

“In big law, you’re the expert—you go deep, you’re exhaustive, and you perfect every word,” she explains. “In-house, you have to be fast, practical, and solution-oriented. It’s about judgment and value, not perfection.”

Joining the rocket ship

When Stevenson joined Upside in 2022, she described it as a “rocket ship moment.” The company, founded in 2016, helps consumers earn cash back and stretch their dollars on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, and dining while helping businesses grow by generating incremental profits from new and more customer visits. Its app connects millions of users with thousands of merchants and retailers across the U.S., powered by real-time data and fintech integrations. Backed by major investors and recognized as one of D.C.’s few tech unicorns, Upside has become a leader in using technology to create value for both consumers and partners.

For Stevenson, it was the perfect environment—fast, collaborative, and full of opportunity to build something lasting. She initially led the commercial legal function and later transitioned to leading partnerships and product, negotiating strategic deals with banks and major platforms.

“Anyone who’s used our app has probably touched one of the deals I negotiated,” she says with a smile.

Her work spans everything from structuring API partnerships to advising on privacy and data-sharing laws. Upside’s integrations with financial institutions and consumer apps require a deep understanding of both fintech regulations and user trust. Stevenson and her team often join discussions as early as the term sheet stage to ensure legal considerations are embedded in business strategy from the start.

“Getting legal involved early means we can shape deals instead of cleaning them up later,” she says.

At a company that moves as quickly as Upside, that foresight is critical. Stevenson’s builder’s mindset has helped Upside create scalable frameworks for growth, from helping the sales team build their own contracts to freeing up legal from repetitive tasks. Her goal, she says, is to “free lawyers to focus on the complex, interesting work instead of paperwork.”

The negotiator’s edge

Ask Stevenson what makes a great negotiator, and she’ll tell you it’s not aggression—it’s preparation, curiosity, and control of the conversation.

“The people who talk first are usually the ones leading the building of rapport,” she says. “I like to take the reins and guide the flow of the negotiations.”

English is her second language—she immigrated to the U.S. from Iran at age nine, knowing only a few words—and she believes that background sharpened her listening skills.

“In Persian culture, people often say something but don’t mean exactly what they’re saying,” she explains. “I learned to listen for the undercurrent of meaning. That’s incredibly useful in negotiation.  I’m always listening for the undercurrent of what people are saying. Also, when I first came to the US and didn’t know English, I had to really focus on reading body language.”

She brings that emotional intelligence and curiosity to every deal, reading rooms, watching reactions, and adjusting her tone accordingly. Humor, used judiciously, can disarm tension. So can patience. Stevenson never starts with the hard parts of a contract.

“I build rapport first,” she says. “You start with the layups, build positive momentum, and then tackle the tougher issues. By then, everyone’s working together.”

Preparation, too, is non-negotiable. Before big deals, she writes out her positions and counterarguments, anticipating what the other side might say.

“I am almost always the most prepared person on the call,” she says. “That’s not something I advertise—it’s just how I work.”

Even now, with years of high-stakes experience, she admits to feeling nervous before major negotiations.

“That nervous energy pushes me to perform. It keeps me sharp. But I think every good lawyer has a healthy dose of anxiety,” she jokes.

Over time, she’s developed what she calls a “sixth sense” for where a deal will land.

“I can almost feel it before the meat of the call even starts,” she says. “I know where the compromises are going to be on each side.” But she’s quick to emphasize that intuition comes from practice and reflection.

She teaches negotiation classes and is slowly writing a book on the subject, driven by a desire to demystify the process. “Most people are better negotiators than they think if they just lean into it,” she says.

“You just need to know how to listen, frame your points clearly, and understand that ‘fair’—the F-word of negotiation—means different things to different people.”

Her approach is explanatory but collaborative and occasionally firm when the situation demands it.

“Sometimes you have to be tough because it’s the right thing to do,” she says. “But I’m not there to take anyone’s shirt. I’m there to represent my client and reach an agreement that works for both sides.”

Leading with balance

Stevenson’s combination of analytical rigor and human understanding defines her leadership style.

That pragmatic optimism makes her an ideal fit for Upside’s culture of experimentation and growth. She thrives in environments where systems are still being built, where process meets innovation.

“Too small and it can be chaos, too big and it’s bureaucracy,” she says. “I like being in the middle—where you can still build, but with more resources.”

Outside the office, she brings the same intensity to her personal pursuits. She took up triathlons recently and learned freestyle swimming from scratch.

“I’m pretty impatient about progress,” she laughs. “But it’s a reminder that getting better takes time, repetition, and humility.”

Whether in sport or law, that mindset defines her: always learning, refining, and finding better ways to get results.

“You can use the same negotiation skills in any area of life,” she says. “It all comes down to solving problems, asking questions and building relationships.”

At Upside, that philosophy has become a cornerstone of how the legal team operates—efficient, collaborative, and always looking ahead. For Stevenson, every deal is a chance to build something bigger than the contract itself: trust, collaboration, and a foundation for growth.