Area of Emphasis
Susanna Bagdasarova is an associate in Babst Calland’s Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies practice groups. She advises clients across a variety of industries on a broad range of corporate and commercial legal matters. Her practice emphasizes high-growth and innovation-driven sectors, where she delivers practical, business-minded counsel tailored to evolving legal and regulatory landscapes. As a member of the Emerging Technologies Practice Group, Ms. Bagdasarova is part of a multidisciplinary team that represents a wide range of stakeholders, from early-stage startups to established enterprises, universities, investors and entrepreneurs, and helps deliver forward-thinking, client-focused legal support in the fast-paced innovation economy.
Ms. Bagdasarova’s practice includes domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and governance, federal and commercial contracting, and strategic business counseling. She regularly assists startups and scaling companies with entity formation, venture financing, and day-to-day operational legal needs, including negotiating financing, vendor, customer, and licensing agreements.
Ms. Bagdasarova counsels clients navigating the development, commercialization, deployment and engagement of cutting-edge technologies, including SaaS, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and autonomous systems, and aerospace applications. Her experience includes drafting and negotiating complex technology agreements and advising on data privacy, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance issues.
Representative Experience
• Advises startups and growth-stage companies on corporate formation, reorganization, capitalization, intellectual property strategy, and commercial contract negotiations.
• Assists founder-led emerging technology companies with financing strategy, including drafting and negotiating convertible note and SAFE agreements, managing capitalization tables, and advising on investor and stakeholder relations.
• Provides ongoing strategic and commercial counsel to startups in the robotics and AI industries, including drafting master services agreements, platform agreements, collaboration and licensing agreements, pilot agreements, terms of use, privacy policies, and customer contracts.
• Negotiates complex SaaS and hosted technology agreements for clients in the software, financial services, and banking sectors.
• Drafts and negotiates federal subcontracts, teaming agreements, NASA Space Act Agreements, SBIR and STTR contracts, and advises clients on federal procurement and compliance requirements.
Background
Ms. Bagdasarova graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science. She received her Juris Doctor from The Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law in 2015, where she graduated summa cum laude as valedictorian. During law school, Ms. Bagdasarova served as Editor-in-Chief for the Penn State Law Review, was a member of the Woolsack Honor Society, and externed for Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Bagdasarova practiced as an associate in the Pittsburgh office of an international law firm in its mergers and acquisitions group.
Memberships and Affiliations
Ms. Bagdasarova is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Transportation, Aeronautical and Space Law Section Council and the Commission on Women in the Profession. She is also a member of the board of the Dickinson Law Alumni Society, GlobalPittsburgh and Radiant Hall. She is a Leadership Development Initiative Leadership OnBoard Fellow for 2025-2026 with Dress for Success Pittsburgh.
In 2025, Ms. Bagdasarova was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as one of only 12 “2025 Lawyers on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winners” statewide in Pennsylvania. This recognition is only given to attorneys under the age of 40 who have demonstrated excellence in four categories: development of the law; advocacy and community contributions; service to the bar; and peer and public recognition. She received a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America recognition for Corporate Law in 2024-2025. Ms. Bagdasarova was also selected to Leadership Pittsburgh Inc.’s Leadership Development Initiative program in 2024. Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. is the local independent nonprofit that is best known for serving as the region’s premier community leadership, identification, connection and development organization.
