Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP has announced the promotions of five associates to the partnership, effective January 1, 2019.

“We are delighted to add these five exceptional lawyers to the partnership,” said Robert V. Gunderson, Jr., Chairman. “Over their years with the firm, they have contributed to our continued growth by providing consistently exemplary service and guidance to our company and fund clients. We’re very fortunate to have these and so many other talented lawyers in our ranks.”

The five new partners are:

Aaron Fiske, Intellectual Property and Tech Transactions, Silicon Valley. Aaron represents emerging growth technology companies and venture capitalists in complex commercial arrangements and corporate transactions. He focuses his practice on corporate partnering, strategic alliances and licensing transactions, and the commercialization and protection of intellectual property and technology assets. A former software engineer, Aaron has deep experience in technology-related legal issues, including open source software and licensing. Aaron also focuses on advising company and fund clients on transactional IP issues arising in connection with financing, M&A and IPO transactions. 

Michael Hacker,Corporate and Securities, Boston. Michael’s practice includes representing entrepreneurs as they form and structure new businesses, counseling companies through multiple rounds of equity and debt financing, providing guidance on intellectual property matters and executing complex M&A transactions. Michael also devotes a substantial portion of his practice to counseling leading venture capital and growth equity investors on global investment transactions, fund formation matters and partnership administration. Michael is also a contributor at the Harvard i-lab and has worked as an advisor to the Law and Entrepreneurship Project at Harvard Law School.

Brendan McCarthy,Intellectual Property and Tech Transactions, San Diego. Brendan has significant experience negotiating strategic alliances, licensing and commercial arrangements for clients in a variety of industries and opposite companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Apple, Becton Dickinson, Cisco, Genentech, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto, Novartis, Regeneron, Samsung and Takeda. Brendan has also negotiated licensing, pre-clinical, and clinical arrangements with many major research institutions. In addition to representing company clients, Brendan also represents a number of prominent venture capital funds and institutional investors in their financing activities.

Ryan Purcell, Corporate and Securities, New York. Ryan’s practice is focused on the representation of emerging growth companies, as well as venture capital and growth equity funds.  Ryan represents entrepreneurs and their businesses from formation through exit, counseling them on business structuring, equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, commercialization strategy and private company liquidity programs. Ryan also works extensively with venture capital and growth equity investors in connection with fundraising strategy, day-to-day operations and complex domestic and international investments, including deep experience with tender offer transactions. His recent international experience includes transactions in China, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Brazil and Israel.

Joseph Raffetto, Corporate and Securities, San Francisco. Joe’s practice focuses on the representation of technology companies throughout their lifecycles, from counseling entrepreneurs on formation and corporate structuring matters, to managing venture capital and growth financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings, as well as advising management and boards on corporate governance and day-to-day legal matters. Joe’s clients span the technology industry, including consumer internet, software, fintech, telecommunications, and entertainment technology sectors. In addition to his company practice, Joe also represents many leading venture capital firms in connection with their investments in technology companies.