Emerging Company & Venture Capital

Our Emerging Growth & Venture Capital lawyers serve as trusted advisors to both venture capital firms and the emerging growth companies in which they invest. We have formed and helped grow thousands of new companies in all major industries, including digital media, software and information technology, Internet, telecommunications, semiconductors, life sciences, and clean technologies. We have advised top tier VCs and corporate investors on numerous debt and equity financings and regularly assist VC fund managers with the full gamut of their organizational and ongoing back office legal needs.

We provide “one-stop shop” legal services including:

• Corporate Formation & Venture Financing
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Employment
• Intellectual Property & Licensing
• Public Offerings
• Corporate Governance
• Litigation

We provide more than just legal advice:

• The monthly Sheppard VentureLink program helps emerging growth companies raise capital by connecting select start-ups with emerging growth and venture capital lawyers throughout Sheppard Mullin, who can in turn help target funding sources.
• The Sheppard Mullin Emerging Company Webinar Program focuses on the legal issues faced by startup and emerging growth companies. Click here to review the schedule and register to attend.
• Our flexible fee arrangements offer emerging companies alternative arrangements so we can support our clients as they grow.

• With offices around the world, we maintain a strong network of relationships with VCs, entrepreneurs and third party experts in the start-up ecosystem.

We provide focused expertise in each of these major industries through a variety of cross-disciplinary industry teams, such as Digital Business, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Video Games, Climate Change and Clean Technology, among others.

Representative VC Clients

• Avalon Ventures
• Blue Run Ventures
• CalPERS
• Cal Technology Ventures
• Claremont Creek
• Confident Technologies
• Enterprise Partners
• Forward Ventures
• JAFCO Ventures
• Kleiner Perkins
• Legend3D
• LexMachina
• LookIO
• New Enterprise Associates
• NGEN Partners
• PandoDaily
• QuestMark Partners
• Samsung Ventures
• Signet Healthcare Partners
• TVM Capital
• Venrock

Representative VC-backed Clients

• Atara Biothera-peutics, Inc.
• Celula, Inc.
• Chumby, Inc.
• Energy Innovations, Inc.
• Gojee, Inc.
• Metaswitch Networks
• mFoundry, Inc.
• PrePlay, Inc.
• Naseeb Networks
• Petra Solar
• Proximal Data, Inc.
• ServiceMesh Inc.
• Tracon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 

• Represented cloud management startup ServiceMesh in its $300M acquisition by CSC.

• Represented Atara Biotherapeutics in its $52 million Series B preferred stock financing, a financing that included a diverse mix of investors, including traditional venture capital investors Kleiner Perkins, Domain Venture Capital and DAG Ventures; corporate investors Amgen Ventures and Celgene Corporation; and hedge fund investor, The Baupost Group.

• Represented Kleiner Perkins in numerous financings, including financings for Alta Devices, Bloom Energy, CrossBar, Inc., Goji Food Solutions, Inc., Kovio, Mcube, MiaSole.
• Represented Avalon Ventures in numerous financings, including financings for Anaptys Bio, AwarePoint, Incode Biopharmaceuticals, MOGL, Proximal Data, and Uwanna.
• Represented NGEN in numerous financings, including financings for Fallbrook Technologies, Solaria Corp., SolFocus and DIRTT.
• Represented Samsung Ventures in numerous financings, including financings for Astute Networks and Cloudant.
• Represented New Enterprise Associates in numerous financings, including financings for Alien Technology Corporation, China Commerce Services Limited, Flashgroup, Hygeia, Mashape, Medical Services Group, Lithium Technologies, Pintree, Platinum Travel, SolFocus, SugarCRM, Vytron, and many others.
• Represented mFoundry through multiple financings and its acquisition by FIS Global valued at approximately $165M.
• Represented Viewdle in sale to Motorola Mobility (now Google) for $40M.
• Represented LookIO in sale to LivePerson (Nasdaq: LPSN) for $10M.
• Represented SiliconSystems through multiple financings and its acquisition by Western Digital valued at approximately $65M.
• Represented BridgePoint Education in its $140M initial public offering.
• Represented RealD in its $200M initial public offering.
• Represented New Enterprise Associates in $80M Desire2Learn, Inc. financing.
• Represented BringIt in its acquisition by IGT.
• Represented Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. in its Series D Preferred Stock Financing of Saladax Biomedical.
• Represented A Bit Lucky, Inc. in its Series A Preferred Stock Financing.
• Represented MobileCause Corporate in its Reorganization & Convertible Note Financing

Podcasts & Webinars

Third Thursday Webinars

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