Emerging Companies & Venture Capital

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Cutting-edge ECVC legal work now requires attorneys with deep regulatory expertise and broad industry connections. We have both.

Overview

From aspiring entrepreneurs to sophisticated investors, our Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (ECVC) team delivers business-focused legal counsel that empowers you to achieve your vision. Our unique service offering combines ECVC legal services with specific industry and regulatory compliance expertise in our targeted industries.

Industries We Serve

We collaborate with entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses across industries, including:

AI and Machine Learning

Our AI team members provide strategic guidance to clients deploying AI technologies and systems such as computer vision, natural language processing, predictive analytics, and robotics, to deliver innovative new services.
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Digital Health

Our experience covers the entire life cycle of healthcare technology companies and their products and services – from formation, strategy and initial product development to commercialization, profitability, and sale, all while navigating applicable regulatory issues.

Clean Energy

Within the evolving energy industry, our experience covers wind, solar, geothermal, hydro facilities, and other clean energy sources. Our lawyers include past environmental consultants, engineers, and government officials – we have an "insider" understanding of the issues impacting energy clients.
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Fintech

Our team works within every part of the fintech ecosystem and can help clear the hurdles – regulatory, organizational, and cultural – emerging companies face when launching new products. We help fintech, blockchain, and digital asset companies achieve their goals while mitigating risk and enforcement actions.
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Food Tech & Ag Tech

Our food and beverage lawyers eat, drink and breathe this industry and assist our clients with transformational events as well as day-to-day counseling. From food safety and compliance to brand development and protection to labeling and marketing – we help emerging food and beverage brands maximize their growth.
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Interactive Entertainment

Combining fandom and expertise, we regularly advise established and emerging gaming platforms, game developers, iGaming and sports betting companies, esports and software companies, casinos, and range of investors on various regulatory, licensing, monetization, and transactional matters.
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Media & AdTech

Our nationally-recognized media and advertising practices combine decades of experience in traditional media with a sophisticated grasp of the ever-changing digital landscape, helping emerging clients develop, acquire, protect, distribute, and monetize content across all platforms.
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Supply Chain & E-Commerce

For emerging companies creating solutions in the supply chain, logistics, and commerce sectors, our lawyers combine regulatory expertise with transactional capabilities to keep your company moving forward.

Your Partner in Growth and Innovation

We offer full-service support to startups and emerging companies in targeted industries driving today's innovation economy, including AI and machine learning, digital health, energy, fintech, food & beverage, industrial tech, interactive entertainment, and media and advertising. Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking to build a scalable business or an investor funding the next big idea, our multidisciplinary team provides tailored solutions for:
Company structuring and formation
Funding and capital strategies, from angel/seed investments to growth/PE financings
Corporate governance and executive matters
Employment counseling and immigration services
Executive compensation and benefits
Intellectual property protection, licensing and commercial transactions
Mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic transactions
Privacy and security
Regulatory compliance
Tax
Trademarks, brand protection and advertising

More Than Legal Counsel—We're Connectors

Through our Startup Law Insights, we share insights and practical tips to guide founders and investors on emerging trends, regulatory updates, and operational challenges.

Explore Our Thought Leadership

A Fully-Integrated Approach to Legal Solutions

Our team is collaborative, creative, and client-focused, offering:
Integrated Expertise
Our ECVC team of lawyers across multiple disciplines and industry sectors address and anticipate complex legal needs at every step.
Tailored Industry Solutions
Whether it's AI, energy, interactive entertainment, digital assets, food innovation or other emerging deep tech, we deliver actionable legal strategies aligned with your goals.
Strategic M&A Services
We advise industry leaders on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic investments, leveraging decades of experience with companies of all sizes. We understand the norms and trends within the industry sectors in which we have deep legal teams.

Project W

We partner with other organizations to help female founders develop the relationships and skills they need to succeed.

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Practice Contacts

Buder, Don
Don Buder
Partner
San Francisco
415.276.6593
Gregg, Knute
S. Knute Gregg
San Francisco
415.276.6510
Jerome Ku
Jerome Ku
Partner
San Francisco
415.276.4823
MalikShelly
Shelly Malik
Counsel
Co-lead, Project W Legal Team
San Francisco
415.276.6514
Andrew Schulthesis
Andrew J. Schultheis
Partner
Seattle San Francisco
206.757.8143
415.276.4829

Our Team

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Contact Us

We're here to help. Email us with any questions or comments and we'll get you connected to the right person.

Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Contact Form

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