Experience

OVERVIEW

On a very short list of leading corporate lawyers in California, Louis Lehot has handled some of the highest profile matters in recent years in the tech, health care, and clean energy spaces. A partner in the firm’s Private Equity & Venture Capital, M&A, and Transactions Practices, as well as the Technology, Health Care, Life Sciences, and Energy Industry Teams, he advises entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors, and financial advisors at all stages of growth.

Louis is skilled at taking clients from “garage to global,” helping them achieve hyper-growth, go public, and successfully obtain optimal liquidity events. He guides emerging private companies as they secure venture capital financing, prepare for IPO, de-SPAC, or an M&A transaction, and navigate the exit. Clients routinely turn to Louis for his domain experience in public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-linked, and debt securities, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spinoffs, strategic investments, and joint ventures, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance matters. Additionally, Louis regularly represents U.S. and non-U.S. registrants before the SEC, FINRA, NYSE, and NASDAQ.

Louis draws on more than 25 years of global experience and leverages the latest legal technology tools to drive strategies and solutions that make sense. He has been recognized by peer-reviewed industry guides and leading practitioners as one of the most innovative, creative, and versatile corporate counsel. Chambers USA noted that he has considerable experience representing both emerging companies and investors in venture financings, stating, “Louis Lehot is known for the high quality of his advice, his responsiveness and passion for his clients.”

His domain experience in public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-linked, and debt securities, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spinoffs, strategic investments, and joint ventures, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance matters, serves his clients well. Additionally, Louis regularly represents US and non-US registrants before the SEC, FINRA, NYSE and NASDAQ.

On a very short list of Silicon Valley’s and San Francisco’s leading corporate lawyers, Louis has handled some of the highest profile matters in the tech, health care, and clean energy spaces. Louis has been recognized by peer- reviewed industry guides and leading practitioners as one of the most innovative, creative, and versatile corporate counsel. Chambers USA noted that he has considerable experience of representing both emerging companies and investors in venture financings, saying, “Louis Lehot is known for the high quality of his advice, his responsiveness and passion for his clients.”

“Over my career I’d say my experience with outside counsel has at best, been mixed. I was finally redeemed when Louis Lehot and team Foley & Lardner LLP arrived on scene. To say this venerable group broke the mold would be a gross understatement. No better team, no better firm to have in your trenches when building a company with ambitions as big as ours.”
“Louis is an exceptional professional whom you absolutely want on your team! His responsiveness and timely assistance is unmatched. With Louis on board, you have both 1) the depth of knowledge, and 2) the power of great network penetrating multiple domains!”
“Ease of working with Louis and his ability to cross over into the international space.”
"Louis has a very good sense of business and has the combination of legal and business skill set which makes him exceptional."
"Louis is a very strong lawyer and is always willing to help."

“His legal advice is superb, he has a very good understanding of all of the legal aspects of investing, he has strong business acumen and offers strong business advice.”
“Louis personally ensures quality, efficiency, and value on every transaction we work on.” “Louis is experienced and knowledgeable.”
"Louis is very knowledgeable and helpful. He is always available when I need him and very responsive to our needs and concerns."
"Louis is one of the best lawyers I have ever worked with."
"Louis is an incredible partner."

The Legal 500 US also noted that clients have commented on Louis’ abilities as a “master networker” in Silicon Valley.

Louis was named to NACD Northern California’s 2024 Leadership Advisory Council, a group of key advisors and partners of the National Association of Corporate Directors, who will help shape the future of corporate governance within Northern California’s board director community. Louis was also named to Law360‘s Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board. Louis is a two-time faculty member of Stanford Director’s College, past advisory board member of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange, and a member of Boston College Law School’s Business Advisory Council. He is committed to giving back and supporting local and global initiatives to help our communities, including the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Home of Hope, Caring for Cambodia, Doctors without Borders, Equal Justice for America, Second Harvest, Ecumenical Hunger Program, Goodwill of Southern California, Girl Power Talk and Palo Alto Partners in Education.

Affiliations

NACD Northern California Leadership Council (2024-)
Law360 2023 Mergers and Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board
American Bar Association, Business Law Committee, Subcommittee on Negotiated Acquisitions
The Association of Corporate Counsel, Bay Area Corporate and Securities Law Committee (2011-2019)
The French-American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco
The Silicon Valley Association of General Counsel (contributor, 2010-2022)
Former advisory board member, The Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX)
Former member, Business Advisory Counsel, Boston College Law School

Awards and Recognition

Named as a member of NACD Northern California’s Leadership Council since 2024
Named to Law360’s 2023 Mergers and Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board
JD Supra, Readers’ Choice Awards, Top Author – M&A, 2024–2026; ranked number three nationally in 2026
Recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Venture Capital (California, 2021–2026) and Startups & Emerging Companies (USA – Nationwide, 2025 and 2026)
Selected as an Acritas Star™, Acritas (2021)
Recognized by The Legal 500 US in the fields of mergers & acquisitions/corporate and commercial
Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers (M&A, 2021–2026) by Super Lawyers Magazine
Named an advisory board member of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX), in partnership with Stanford Law School’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance (2016–2019)

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Ventures

Louis regularly represents buyers in creating innovative acquisition programs, smart structures, and smooth processes to acquire businesses by share purchase, merger, asset purchase, and license. He represents bootstrapped as well as venture-backed startups in achieving lucrative liquidity events for their entrepreneurs and investors. Representative matters include:

Represented Mirantis in its sale to IREN (Nasdaq: IREN) in a $625 million all-stock transaction, to unlock AI compute utilization in the datacenter, adding Kubernetes and enterprise ops to help them deploy GPUs into usable revenue-generating AI infrastructure.
Represented Riverwood Capital in its acquisition of a controlling stake in LeapXpert, the leader in governed communication intelligence, in a $180 million transaction.
Represented Redem Tech Inc., doing business as Kapital Bank, in the acquisition of Intercam Grupo Financiero’s broker-dealer, asset management, and operational banking assets.
Represented Kapital Grupo Financiero in its pending $30 million acquisition of Woz Code, a U.S. artificial intelligence company.
Represented Zero Cognitive Systems Inc. in the sale of its HerculesAI legaltech business to Aderant, a subsidiary of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP).
Represented Blockstream, the global leader in Bitcoin-powered financial infrastructure, in its acquisition of Lugano-based digital asset company Elysium Lab and the launch of Blockstream CH SAGL, its new European headquarters and incubator entity.
Represented Fullpower-AI, a leader in AI-powered health and wellness technologies, in a $25 million Series C strategic investment from Tempur Sealy International (a wholly owned business of Somnigroup International Inc.) made concurrently with a 10-year global licensing agreement for Fullpower-AI’s KOA Sleeptracker-AI platform, valuing the company at $160 million.
Represented xmad.ai, a frontier AI research company, in its sale to Workato, the leader in agentic orchestration, announced alongside the launch of Workato’s AI Research Lab.
Represented Sorcero in its strategic acquisition of Axiom Health, a medtech data-as-a-service company, expanding Sorcero into the medical device market.
Represented Matterport (Nasdaq: MTTR) in its sale to CoStar Group (Nasdaq: CSGP) for cash and stock valued at over $2.1 billion, including an FTC-led second request antitrust review.
Represented Archimed, a leading global healthcare private equity fund, in the buyouts of skincare platform Cellese and wound irrigation platform Irrimax.
Represented Bhuma, an AI-enabled no-code DevOps business backed by First Rays Venture, Westwave, Neotribe and The AI Fund, in its sale to IBM.
Represented Wine Access (Norwest portfolio company) in its sale to Full Glass Wine Co.
Represented Transgrid Energy in the acquisition of industrial-scale renewable energy assets.
Represented Riverwood Capital in its buyout of Forecast5 Analytics, leveraged financing, and bolt-on acquisitions (sold to Frontline, a portfolio company of Thoma Bravo).
Represented Riverwood Capital in its sale of Supply Chain Research Group to Argosy Capital.
Represented the League App, Inc. in its sale to Match Group (Nasdaq: MTCH).
Represented Vcheck Global in its sale to funds affiliated with Sunstone Partners.
Represented Zonehaven, the SaaS solution for emergency evacuation and community support, in its sale to Genasys (Nasdaq: GNSS), the critical communications systems and solutions company.
Represented FluroSat, a crop science company, in its all-stock acquisition of soil health startup Dagan to form Regrow Agriculture, focusing on resilient agriculture solutions.
Represented doc.ai Incorporated, a digital health transformation company, in negotiating strategic investment, commercial and licensing deals with Anthem and its subsequent 2021 sale to Sharecare and de-SPAC merger with Falcon Capital Acquisition Corp.
Represented 174 Power Global, the power project development arm of Hanwha Energy Corp., in negotiating a joint venture with Total SE to develop utility-scale solar and energy storage projects of 1.6 GW cumulative capacity in North America.
Represented Semarchy, the Intelligent Data Hub™ company and a disruptive provider of master data management software, in its sale to funds advised by Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), the growth equity affiliate of Providence Equity Partners.
Represented CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE: CBRE) in dozens of acquisitions over the past decade for regional real estate brokerages, property management businesses, technology platforms and adjacent services, including Floored.com, Forum Analytics, Brenner Real Estate Group, Capstone Financial, Skye Group, CAC Group, Fameco, KLMK Group, U.S. Equities, UCR and many more.
Represented Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT) in acquisitions of Dragon Innovation and Solaris and in numerous strategic investments in technology businesses.
Represented SoftBank Group International in the sale of 99 Taxis, the largest ride-sharing company in Brazil, to Didi.
Represented Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) in acquisitions of Appformix, Aurrion, Cyphort and in other strategic transactions.
Represented Penn National Gaming (NYSE: PENN) in the acquisition of Rocket Games.
Represented CheckALT LLC in the acquisitions of ERAS from Diebold (NYSE: DBD) and Klik Technologies from MUFG Union Bank.
Represented Binatone Global in its acquisition of the companion products business of Motorola Mobility.
Represented CVC and QA Analytics in its buyout of Cloud Academy.
Represented a large-cap software company in a confidential joint venture with a large China-based company in a significant market-access joint venture for the PRC.
Represented a China-based white goods company in a significant PRC market-access joint venture with a U.S. industrial manufacturing company.
Represented Sanpower Group Co., Ltd., one of China’s largest privately owned conglomerates, on its entry into a definitive agreement to acquire Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for US$819.9 million.
Represented Symphony Technology Group and Bond International Software in the acquisition of Erecruit.
Represented Tecan Group AG (SIX: TECN) in its acquisition of SpeWare Corp.
Represented Centric Software, a global enterprise SaaS PLM company (backed by venture capital firms Oak Investment Partners and Fung Capital) based in Silicon Valley, in the sale of a majority stake to Dassault Systèmes SE, a French public company listed on Euronext Paris, in a cash and stock deal.
Represented Docea Power SAS in its sale to Intel (NYSE: INTC).
Represented Kerensen Consulting in its sale to salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM).
Represented Tuplejump in its formation and subsequent sale to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL).
Represented StackStorm in its sale to Brocade (now part of Broadcom, Nasdaq: AVGO).
Represented Adotube in its sale to Exponential Interactive.
Represented MetricTest in its sale to Microlease (now part of ElectroRent).
Represented the special committee of the board of directors of Tongjitang Chinese Medicines, an NYSE-listed public company, in negotiating an agreement and plan of merger with a bidder group led by its chairman and Fosun Industrial in a going-private transaction (recognized by China Business Law Journal as 2012’s Going Private Deal of the Year).
Represented AOL LLC (now known as Oath) in the acquisitions of Sphere Source, Inc. and Goowy Media Inc.
Represented CVC, Elevation Partners, Hellman & Friedman, Hony Capital, Riverwood Capital, Silver Lake Partners, SoftBank, Symphony Technology Group, and TPG in leveraged buyouts, growth equity, and venture investments.
Represented Credit Suisse as financial advisor in Heckmann Corp.’s de-SPAC transaction with China Water & Drinks.

Venture Capital & Growth Equity

Louis’s clients include venture capital, growth equity investment firms, and corporate venturing groups that make minority investments in technology, health care, clean energy, and other innovative businesses, including:

Represented SoftBank Vision Fund in growth equity investments in Zymergen, Alto Pharmacy, Wag Labs, Slack, Guardant Health, 99 Taxis, and 10X Genomics
Represented Riverwood Capital in growth equity investments in Alation, AppZen, BigID, Degreed, Druva, CloudVirga, One Model, Sauce Labs, SpyCloud, and AppZen ($180 million growth round, as lead investor in growth equity rounds)
Represented TCG Crossover in late-stage emerging life sciences investments in Affinia Therapeutics, Aviceda Therapeutics, Entrada, AdarX, Artios, Versanis, Alkeus, Tourmaline Bio (and its concurrent subsequent merger with Talaris Therapeutics), Inhibrx, Pathys, Obsidian Therapeutics ($115 million Series B, as lead investor), CORXEL ($287 million Series D1), and others, as well as private investments into public entities and royalty deals, including Abivax (with royalty streams), Adverum Bio, Compass Pathways, Mineralys Therapeutics, Silence Therapeutics, Nektar Therapeutics ($30 million private placement), and more
Represented Bioluminescence Ventures in making emerging life sciences investments in Cellarity, Tessera Therapeutics, Nido Biopharma, Catalog Technologies, ReCode Therapeutics (as lead investor in its Series B extension), and others
Represented Vivo Capital in growth equity investments in Maculogix, Harmony Biosciences, and Green River, to name a few
Represented NEA in seed and follow-on investments in Robinhood (IPO), ScoutRFP (sold to Workday), Automation Anywhere (largest Series A transaction ever at US$265 million), FightCamp, Evernow, AI2, Embrace Mobile, Weaviate, Slash, Regression Games, Fabric8 Labs, Modyfi, Fizz Social, Kindred Concepts, FloxDev, Nordsense, Arris, Orby AI, Comanche Biopharma, Sorriso Pharma, World Labs, Abcuro, Bluefish AI, Datafold ($20 million Series A, as lead investor), beehiiv ($33 million Series B, as lead investor), NG.CASH ($26.5 million Series B, as lead investor), Positron ($875 million round, as lead investor), and dozens of other transactions for over 15 years
Represented Connect Ventures, the investment partnership between Creative Artists Agency and NEA, as lead investor in its $20 million investment in Deep Voodoo, the AI entertainment startup founded by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Represented Samsung Ventures in dozens of early- to late-stage investments in technology, health care, and life science businesses, managing the portfolio and subsequent monetization transactions, including investments in Walden Robotics ($300 million round), Loft Orbital ($170 million late-stage round), Cartesia ($64 million Series A), WitnessAI ($58 million round), XBOW ($35 million Series C), and Lumotive (as lead investor in a strategic round), and, through Samsung Catalyst, Normal Computing ($50 million round, as lead investor) and Lucid Micro
Represented LG Technology Ventures in its initial fund formation and in over a dozen early- to late-stage investments in technology businesses, including Claroty ($140 million Series D), The Sandbox ($93 million Series B), Venti Technologies ($28 million Series A, as lead investor), Li Industries, May Mobility ($36 million Series B, as lead investor), and Zenity ($125 million Series C)
Represented Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Foundation Capital, General Atlantic, Nautilus Venture Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Propel Ventures, and numerous other venture capital firms in making early- to late-stage venture capital investments in technology, life sciences, med-tech, medical devices, health care, and clean energy businesses
Represented AIG, Atomico, CBRE, GE Ventures, Hanwha Q Cells, Lenovo, MS&AD Ventures, Next47, OSRAM, Robert Bosch, Salesforce Ventures, Siemens, and numerous other corporate venturing groups in making strategic investments in technology and health care businesses
Represented TDK Ventures in Fund Ex1, a dedicated energy disruption fund, and a dedicated India fund, as well as in numerous portfolio company investments, follow-on financings, and portfolio company management, including investments in Verdagy ($25 million round, as lead investor), Faction Technology (Series A, as lead investor), Infinite Uptime, Rodatherm Energy ($38 million Series A), and R3 Lithium ($15 million Series A, as lead investor)
Represented Mighty Capital, Cervin Ventures, AI Sprouts VC, Carat Venture Partners, Outlierz Fund, SkyRiver Ventures, Fintech Next Ventures, Freedom of Innovation Fund, One Way Ventures, and many other early-, scale-, and late-stage venture capital funds in raising, deploying, monitoring, and harvesting venture capital
Represented Tenacity Venture Capital in investments in numerous seed-stage fintech companies, including as lead investor in Kapital’s $30 million Series A financing and Manufactured Networks’ equity financing, and in the early-stage rounds of Nevly Money, Savvly, Vendelux Money, and Wildfire Robotics, among others
Represented Cortical Ventures in making AI investments in CaspianDB, Immerok, Weaviate (Series A and $50 million Series B), 2nd Set AI, HOS, SpearAI, Rupert ($8 million seed, as co-lead investor), Kyber Labs (pre-seed, as lead investor), Angel AI (seed, as lead investor), and other AI businesses
Represented SkyRiver Ventures in making early-stage investments in Labrador, Geminus, and other deeptech businesses
Represented Cervin Ventures as lead investor in the $10 million seed financings for Callidus Legal AI and the $6.7 million seed financing for Sequifi, and in a growth equity round for Remi Labs
Represented Origin Ventures as lead investor in the $5 million seed financing for Century Health and, together with Venture 53, as an investor in the $25 million growth equity investment in ClearJet
Represented Hanwha Impact Partners, the venture capital arm of Hanwha Group, as lead investor in the $121 million Series C financing for Cellarity and the $35 million Series B financing for CATALOG
Represented East Bridge Capital as an investor in the $45 million Series B financing for Lumotive
Represented Envisioning Partners as an investor in the Series B financing for Phoenix Tailings

Emerging Growth Companies

Over his more than 25-year career, Louis has represented emerging growth companies from garage to global in all stages, from formation to liquidity, including:

Represented App0 (enterprise SaaS communications platform backed by Cota Capital)
Represented BankJoy (fintech backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, CheckALT and SoftBank Opportunity Fund)
Represented Bhuma (DevOps no-code software platform backed by First Rays Venture Capital, Westwave, Neotribe, and The AI Fund)
Represented Bionure (life sciences)
Represented Blockstream (Bitcoin-powered financial infrastructure) in its acquisition of Elysium Lab and the launch of its European headquarters in Switzerland
Represented Burq (API integration backed by MANTIS Venture Capital, Alumni Ventures, s16vc and One Way Ventures)
Represented Centric Software (PLM enterprise SaaS software backed by Dassault Systemes and Oak Investment Partners)
Represented CheckALT (fintech, backed by Shai Stern)
Represented Design Barn, Inc., the creator of Lottie Files (a multiplatform animation creation tool backed by Square Peg, XYZ Ventures, Greatpoint Ventures, M12, Adobe, and 500 Global), including its $37 million Series B financing led by Square Peg Capital
Represented Fullpower-AI (AI-powered health and wellness technologies) in its $25 million Series C strategic investment from Tempur Sealy International and concurrent 10-year global licensing agreement
Represented Gatik AI (autonomous delivery backed by FM Capital, KDT Ventures, Endeavor), including its $200 million Series D financing led by Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies and its partnership with PepsiCo
Represented GoodData (enterprise SaaS, backed by General Catalyst, a16z, Intel Capital, and Visa Ventures)
Represented Instock, a customer fulfillment robotics company (backed by Amazon, One Way Ventures, Lux Capital, Commerce VC, u.ventures, Cynernetix Ventures and others)
Represented Mexican fintech Kapital in its Series B financing led by Tribe and Pelion and its Series C financing led by Tribe Capital and Pelion Ventures, which made Kapital Mexico’s newest fintech unicorn, and its $125 million debt and equity financing (2026)
Represented Lumotive, an advanced sensing and perception solutions company for LiDAR backed by Gates Frontier Fund, MetaVC, Samsung Ventures, Taiwania Capital, Quan Funds and East Bridge Capital
Represented Manufactured Networks (supply chain fintech, backed by Positive Sum Venture Capital, MS&AD Capital, Tenacity Venture Capital and TriplePoint Capital)
Represented Mindvalley, Inc. (edtech, personal growth, consumer internet)
Represented Mirantis, offering enterprises unprecedented speed to ship code faster across public and private clouds (backed by Intel Capital, Insight Venture Partners, and August Capital, sold to IREN)
Represented OpenLight Photonics (semiconductors, backed by Juniper Networks), including its oversubscribed $34 million Series A financing co-led by Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group, its $50 million Series A-1 financing led by Matter Venture Partners, and its partnership with Advantest Corporation to develop scalable, high-volume silicon photonics testing solutions
Represented Palona AI (AI operating layer for physical businesses, backed by Ardenwood Ventures, CrimsonOx, UpHonest, Turbo, Llama Ventures, Neo, Fusion Fund, Defy and Maynard Webb) in its $20 million Series A financing
Represented Regrow Agriculture (agtech, backed by Main Sequence Ventures, M12, AJAX, and the corporate venture arm of Cargill), including its $17 million Series A financing
Represented Securly (security for edtech, backed by Owl Ventures and Defy Ventures, sold to Golden Gate)
Represented Semarchy (big data, master data management, sold to affiliates of Providence Strategic Growth)
Represented Sorcero (AI for the biopharma industry, backed by CityRock Ventures and Mighty Capital)
Represented SoundPatrol (AI-enabled anti-piracy research lab protecting music for artists and labels) in its formation and financing
Represented Spektrum Labs (AI-first cyber resilience software for cybersecurity and cyber insurance, backed by Danu Ventures) in its seed financing
Represented Spire Bioventures
Represented Summer Robotics (machine vision for vision-guided robotics, backed by Applied Ventures, Solasta Ventures and Naver) in its Series A financing
Represented Learning Squared, the creator of Square Panda (AI for edtech, backed by Andre Agassi)
Represented Tuplejump (big data, sold to a Cupertino-based company)
Represented Vcheck Global (background check solutions for investors backed by Shai Stern and Seth Farbman, sold to affiliates of Sunstone Partners)
Represented Uptiq AI (fintech for alternative assets, backed by Greenvisors, 645 Ventures, Cota Capital, and others) since formation, including its $12 million financing led by Silverton Partners and its $25 million Series B financing led by Curql
Represented WannaSplit (fintech)
Represented WineAccess (consumer internet, backed by Norwest Venture Partners)
Represented Woz (AI-powered platform for building business-ready apps, backed by Cervin Ventures, Burst Capital, Y Combinator, Untapped Ventures, MGV and the Lacob Family) in its $6 million seed financing
Represented xmad.ai (frontier AI research, sold to Workato)
Represented Yobi (AI-focused customer communications app for small businesses) in its oversubscribed seed financing
Represented Zero Cognitive Systems, Inc. (AI for productivity automation, backed by Streamlined Ventures, Thomson Reuters, OneWay Ventures, Altair, and others), including HerculesAI’s $26 million Series B financing led by Streamlined Ventures

Fund Formation

In recent years, Louis has worked with financial sponsors and general partners to create investment funds targeted at deploying capital in tech, healthcare, life sciences and clean energy ventures, including:

Bioluminescence Ventures in structuring and fund formation, leading to its emergence from stealth with $477 million in assets under management
TDK Ventures, in structuring and executing a multi-LP fund focused on energy disruption and another fund focused on investing in India
Mighty Capital, the San Francisco based fund that is a “go-to” for product-first companies, in all three of its funds
Outlierz, an Africa-focused Seed venture capital firm focused on backing outstanding technology founders solving Africa’s most pressing challenges and re-inventing the continent’s future
Carat Venture Partners, a multi-stage, technology venture capital firm investing and partnering with exceptional startups and the biggest brands in the world to build and grow a sustainable future
AISprouts.VC, investing in founders that are building category-leading ventures using artificial intelligence
One Way Ventures, a fund backing exceptional immigrant founders in the US and Canada at pre-seed and seed stage, principally in deep tech, robotics, AI and beyond
LG Technology Ventures in its initial formation and first five funds

Public Company Representation

Avnet, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVT)
CHC Helicopter (NYSE: HELI)
CSR plc (NASDAQ: CSR), sold to Qualcomm
Dasan Zhone Solutions (NASDAQ: DZSI)
Hanwha Q Cells (NASDAQ: QCELLS)
Matterport (NASDAQ: MTTR)
Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX)
SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRF)
STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE: STM), Technip, Rhodia, Orange and many more

Capital Markets Transactions

Represented doc.ai and founders in combination with Sharecare and Falcon Capital Acquisition Corp. in a de-SPAC’ing transaction (2021)
Represented SoftBank as selling holder in Slack’s direct listing (2019)
Represented SoftBank as selling holder in 10x Genomics’ IPO (2019)
Represented SoftBank as selling holder in Guardant Health’s IPO and follow-on offerings (2018)
Represented CHC Group, Ltd. in its IPO (2014)
Represented LegalZoom in its attempted IPO (2012)
Represented RealD in its IPO and follow-on offering (July and December 2010)
Represented OpenTable in its follow-on offering (2009)
Represented underwriters, Micron (2009)
Represented CBRE in multiple capital markets transactions
Represented underwriters in Heckmann Corporation’s SPAC IPO and financial advisors in its subsequent de-SPAC transaction (2007-2008)
Represented underwriters in AMIS Holdings’ public offering (2007)

Convertible Notes, Investment Grade and High Yield Bond Offerings

Represented GLG Partners in private placements of convertible bonds (2009)
Represented Micron Technology in public offerings of convertible bonds (2007 and 2009)
Represented the underwriters in POSCO’s offering of exchangeable bonds (2008)
Represented Lawson Software in its convertible bond offering and call spread transactions (2007)
Represented the underwriters in convertible bond and call spread transactions with SanDisk (2006)
Represented Northrop Grumman, France Telecom, Orange, STMicroelectronics, Rhodia, ALSTOM and Dassault Systemes SA in multiple capital markets transactions for ordinary shares, high yield bonds, convertible bonds, exchangeable bonds and other instruments, as well as in public reporting and SEC compliance

*Includes matters handled prior to joining Foley.

Presentations and Publications

Author, “Where We Are on Software M&A,” Foley Viewpoints (September 8, 2026)
Author, “100X 2026: Where the Energy Transition Met the AI Revolution,” Foley Viewpoints (August 31, 2026)
Author, “Ready for Anything: Takeaways From a Panel on Going Public,” Foley Viewpoints (August 26, 2026)
Co-Author, “California’s $366 Billion Venture Capital Boom: Founders and Investors Should Be Watching,” Foley Viewpoints (August 24, 2026)
Author, “The Chief Everything Officer,” Foley Viewpoints (August 18, 2026)
Author, “What Makes a Great CFO,” Foley Viewpoints (August 17, 2026)
Author, “The Venture Market Is Not Recovering. It Is Reorganizing.,” Foley Viewpoints (August 4, 2026)
Author, “Beyond the Headlines: A Look at Q2 Venture Activity,” Foley Viewpoints (August 3, 2026)
Author, “The M&A Recovery: Two Markets Moving at Different Speeds,” Foley Viewpoints (July 29, 2026)
Co-Author, “Seoul Bets Big: What South Korea’s $518 Billion Semiconductor Gamble Means for Global Tech Companies,” Foley Viewpoints (July 27, 2026)
Author, “The Force Multiplier: What CFOs Are Actually Doing With AI,” Foley Viewpoints (July 24, 2026)
Author, “Is Your Company IPO-Ready? The 12-Month Checklist,” Foley Viewpoints (July 21, 2026)
Author, “Aging Assets and the Patience Test for Private Equity,” Foley Viewpoints (July 16, 2026)
Author, “QSBS Trust Stacking Comes Under the Microscope,” Foley Viewpoints (July 6, 2026)
Author, “What Directors Should be Asking About the Audit and the Auditors Now,” Foley Viewpoints (July 2, 2026)
Author, “The Sidewalk Is the Lab: Hard Things, Round Three,” Foley Viewpoints (June 17, 2026)
Author, “The Habits of Boards That Get It Right,” Foley Viewpoints (June 17, 2026)
Author, “A Room with a View: What the Secondaries Boom Is Really Telling Us About Private Markets,” Foley Viewpoints (June 16, 2026)
Author, “What Cross-Border M&A Teaches About the Limits of Legal AI,” Innovative Technology Insights (June 8, 2026)
Author, “It’s Time to Get Going,” Foley Ignite (June 2, 2026)
Author, “DExit One Year Later: An Assessment of SB21, the Continuing Pace of Reincorporation and the Maturation of Texas as a Corporate Domicile,” Foley Corporate Governance Update (May 29, 2026)
Author, “AI, Automation, and Robotics Are Reshaping Value Creation for Private Equity,” Foley Ignite (May 20, 2026)
Author, “When the Ground Moves Beneath Your Feet: Notes from a PE-Backed CFO Forum,” Foley Ignite (May 18, 2026)
Author, “Securing the Agentic Future: A GC Lunch Series Discussion,” Foley Ignite (May 18, 2026)
Author, “Private Equity’s AI Bet: Strategic Hedge or Structural Conflict?,” Foley Ignite (May 12, 2026)
Author, “What We Took Home from Milken Week,” Foley Ignite (May 11, 2026)
Author, “From Punchline to Platform: Hard Things Round Two and the Real History of Robotics,” Foley Ignite (May 11, 2026)
Author, “Investing in AI Infrastructure: Beyond Data Centers,” Foley Ignite (May 6, 2026)
Co-Author, “From Static Compliance to Living Compliance: How Agentic AI Can Make Health Care Operations Safer,” Innovative Technology Insights (April 29, 2026)
Author, “Q1 2026: A Record Quarter, a Compressed Market, and a Window That Won’t Stay Open,” Foley Ignite (April 6, 2026)
Author, “Pre-IPO Planning Is No Longer About Going Public. It’s About Keeping Every Option Alive.,” Foley Ignite (April 2, 2026)
Author, “A $1 Trillion Order Book and a Palo Alto Living Room: What GTC 2026 and Hard Things Taught Us This Week About Physical AI,” Foley Viewpoints (March 26, 2026)
Co-Author, “M&A Deals Requiring HSR Filings May Also Require Notice to the Department of War,” Foley Viewpoints (March 25, 2026)
Author, “The Art of the Two-Step: Multitiered Deals and the AI Valuation Gold Rush,” Foley Ignite (March 10, 2026)
Author, “2026 IPO Market Outlook: Momentum, Deregulation, and the Path to Liquidity,” Foley Viewpoints (February 17, 2026)
Co-Author, “California Rolls Out New Venture Capital Diversity Reporting Requirements,” Innovative Technology Insights (February 9, 2026)
Author, “Crypto Asset Strategy for Corporate Legal Leaders: What CLOs and GCs Should Know and Do in 2026,” Blogs (January 26, 2026)
Author, “Crypto Exits Surge in 2025: Momentum Builds for an Even Bigger 2026,” Innovative Technology Insights (January 16, 2026)
Author, “The Rush to Exit: PE Firms Pick Up the Pace in 2025,” Foley Viewpoints (December 23, 2025)
Author, “Event Summary: The Next Era of Board Evaluations,” Foley Viewpoints (December 16, 2025)
Author, “2026 Outlook: AI, IPOs, and the New “Normal” in Venture & Private Equity,” Foley Viewpoints (December 8, 2025)
Author, “Foley Event Key Takeaways: Ready for Anything: Preparing for IPOs, SPACs, and Unexpected Capital Market Shift,” Foley Viewpoints (December 4, 2025)
Author, “A Look at Current Healthtech VC Trends,” Foley Ignite (December 2, 2025)
Author, “Key Insights from TEDAI 2025,” Innovative Technology Insights (November 20, 2025)
Author, “What’s New in Venture Capital? Update on Q3 2025 Venture Capital Trends,” Foley Ignite (November 6, 2025)
Author, “Three Trends That Will Define AI in 2026,” Foley Ignite (November 6, 2025)
Author, “A Look at the US Private Equity Market in Q3 2025,” Foley Ignite (November 4, 2025)
Co-Author, “TED AI 2025,” Events (October 22, 2025)
Co-Author, “Breaking Down the NVCA: What Founders and VCs Need to Know,” Foley Ignite (October 21, 2025)
Author, “Reopening the IPO Window: Insights from the IPO Summit — Silicon Valley Edition,” Foley Viewpoints (October 15, 2025)
Author, “State of Capital Markets for Public Companies: A Comprehensive Look at the Technology, Clean Energy, and Life Sciences Sectors in 2025,” Foley Ignite (October 2, 2025)
Co-Author, “SPAC 4.0: From Spectacular Failures to a Disciplined Renaissance,” Foley Ignite (September 30, 2025)
Co-Author, “Will the Next Patent Cliff Further Spur M&A Activity and What Does That Mean for Companies Right Now?,” Foley Ignite (September 29, 2025)
Co-Author, “Fueling the Next Wave: From First Raise to Secondaries and Exits,” Events (September 17, 2025)
Co-Author, “DExit: Why Some Companies Are Leaving Delaware,” Foley Corporate Governance Update (September 15, 2025)
Author, “The Future of Silicon Valley: Examining the Six Biggest Issues Impacting Innovation and Growth,” Foley Ignite (September 2, 2025)
Author, “Big Tech Looks to AI Startups to Secure Talent,” Foley Ignite (August 20, 2025)
Author, “Will the Late Summer M&A Rebound Continue into Fall?,” Foley Ignite (August 14, 2025)
Author, “The Rise of ‘Acquihiring’ in a Post-Layoff Tech Sector,” Foley Ignite (August 8, 2025)
Author, “Is an IPO Window Opening for H2 2025?,” Foley Ignite (August 1, 2025)
Author, “Charting the Path Back to the Good Life: Unblocking the Innovation Markets in 2025,” Foley Ignite (July 14, 2025)
Author, “Investor Insights: An Overview of PitchBook’s H1 2025 VC Tech Survey,” Foley Ignite (June 10, 2025)
Author, “Lost in Translation: Key Deal Points in European vs. U.S. M&A Transactions,” Foley Ignite (May 27, 2025)
Co-Author, “The Human Factor in M&A Transactions,” Foley Ignite (April 30, 2025)
Co-Author, “An Updated Outlook for Private Equity in 2025,” Foley Ignite (April 9, 2025)
Author, “The Dealmaking Slowdown: A Time for Startups to Prepare,” Foley Ignite (April 1, 2025)
Co-Author, “ Weathering the Storm: Key M&A Considerations for Foreign Investors Entering the U.S. Market,” Foley Ignite (March 24, 2025)
Author, “A Delay in Exit Plans,” Foley Ignite (March 21, 2025)
Author, “New Opportunities and Challenges for Board Directors,” Foley Ignite (March 13, 2025)
Author, “Where is corporate venture capital headed in 2025, and will it lead to more M&A?,” Foley Ignite (February 11, 2025)
Co-Author, “Is the Future of Digital Assets in the United States Bright Again?,” Innovative Technology Insights (January 27, 2025)
Co-Author, “Drilling Down into Venture Capital Financing in Artificial Intelligence,” Foley Ignite (January 15, 2025)
Co-Author, “The Outlook for US Private Equity in 2025,” Foley Ignite (January 10, 2025)
Author, “The 2025 IPO Market,” (December 18, 2024)
Co-Author, “A New Era for the FTC,” Foley Ignite (December 11, 2024)
Author, “Key Takeaways from the 2024 Venture Revolution Conference in San Francisco,” Foley Ignite (December 2, 2024)
Author, “Executing Audit Committee Oversight in Turbulent Times: Risk Management and Financial Reporting,” Foley Ignite (December 2, 2024)
Co-Author, “Key Takeaways From TEDAI 2024,” Innovative Technology Insights (November 12, 2024)
Author, “M&A Market Picking Up Steam: A Look at Q3 Activity,” Foley Ignite (November 4, 2024)
Co-Author, “Why Korea Is Gaining Prominence for M&A Activity,” Foley Ignite (November 4, 2024)
Author, “Louis Lehot Publishes on Legal Considerations for Co-Founder Breakups, The Recorded (October 22, 2024)
Co-Author, “The Fast Follower’s Guide to Recent AI Law, Foley Ignite, (October 14, 2024)
Author, “The Next Frontier for Artificial Intelligence in 2025, Foley Ignite, (October 4, 2024)
Author, “The Outlook for M&A Activity in Q4 2024, Foley Ignite, (September 26, 2024)
Co-Author, “A Rebound for Fintech Investment, Foley Ignite, (September 5, 2024)
Author, “A Look at the Cross-Border Payments Market, Foley Ignite (August 21, 2024)
Co-author, “Due diligence vs. protections and remedies for buyers in acquisitions,” Westlaw (March 27, 2024)
Co-author, “A Look at the Market for Sports and Sports Tech in 2024,” Foley Ignite (March 27, 2024)
Co-author, “Preparing organizations for AI adoption,” Westlaw (March 27, 2024)
Co-author, “Exploring Business Opportunities in India: Insights from Foley & Lardner’s General Counsel Series,” Foley Ignite (March 14, 2024)
Co-author, “Strategies for the Tech Sector in 2024,” Foley Ignite (March 12, 2024)
Co-author, “The Corporate Transparency Act and the Impact on M&A in the U.S.,” Foley Ignite (February 26, 2024)
Author, “An M&A Lawyer’s Insight Into Earth’s Challenges From Outer Space,” The Recorder (February 22, 2024)
Co-author, “Mergers, Acquisitions, and Dispositions for Seed- And Early-Stage Startups,” Foley Ignite (February 14, 2024)
Co-author, “How Antitrust Regulators Are Affecting M&A Transactions,” Foley Ignite (February 13, 2024)
Co-author, “A Positive Outlook for UK M&A in 2024,” Foley Ignite (February 1, 2024)
Co-author, “The Return of the Exit,” Foley Ignite (January 30, 2024)
Co-author, “Unlocking Stock Options: Employee Loans and Considerations,” Foley Ignite (January 17, 2024)
Co-author, “Emerging Risks Affecting The Tech Legal Landscape,” Law360 (January 10, 2024)
Co-author, “A Look at AI Regulation in California,” Foley Ignite (January 10, 2024)
Co-author, “Navigating Board Turbulence: Lessons From OpenAI,” LegalTech News (January, 2024)
Author, “Could 2024 Mean a Happy New Year for Founders?,” Foley Ignite (January 3, 2024)
Author, “Where Have All the Venture Capital Firms Gone?,” Foley Ignite (December 21, 2023)
Co-author, “What to Expect in Evolving U.S. Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in 2024,” Legal Tech News (December 19, 2023)
Co-author, “2024 Predictions: Unveiling the future of healthcare mergers and acquisitions,” MobiHealthNews (December 8, 2023)
Co-author, “Operating in Today’s Investor-Friendly Environment,” Foley Ignite (December 4, 2023)
Co-author, “Current Look at Digital Health,” Foley Ignite (November 20, 2023)
Co-author, “Key Takeaways from Foley & Lardner and NACD Northern California Crisis Management Tabletop,” Foley Ignite (November 15, 2023)
Co-author, “Private Company Compliance: Investigations, Regulations, and Litigation,” Foley Ignite (November 13, 2023)
Author, “Current Trends in Climate Change Technology Investment,” POWER Magazine (November 3, 2023)
Co-author, “M&A Trends to Watch in 2024: Navigating the Shifting Landscape,” Foley Ignite (October 31, 2023)
Co-author, “Navigating the AI Frontier: Legal and Operational Insights Into Generative AI” Foley Ignite (October 11, 2023)
Co-author, “Strengthening the Flow of the Biotech Sector’s M&A Pipeline,” Genetic Engineering News (October 10, 2023)
Author, “California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Requiring Venture Capitalists to Report on the Diversity of the Businesses They Invest In,” Foley Ignite (October 10, 2023)
Co-author, “The Coming Wave of Startup M&A,” Foley Ignite (October 4, 2023)
Co-author, “The Importance of ESG for Startups: Pioneering a Sustainable Future,” Reuters Legal News (September 29, 2023)
Author, “Key Takeaways for Directors on How to Harness the Power of AI in Health Care,” Law 360 (September 21, 2023)
Co-author, “How artificial intelligence is disrupting the dealmaking process,” Westlaw (September 8, 2023)
Co-author, “Reshaping of the Biotech M&A Landscape,” MedTech (Septermber 5, 2023)
Co-author, “The Importance of Due Diligence in M&A Transactions,” Foley Ignite (August 29, 2023)
Author, “A look at Q2 M&A and beyond: Are conditions ripe for a strong 2024 M&A rebound?” Westlaw (August 28, 2023)
Author, “Cracking the Code: What Venture Capital Investors Look for in Early-Stage Startups,” Foley Ignite (August 28, 2023)
Author, “A Look at Q2 M&A and Beyond: Are Conditions Ripe for a Strong 2024 M&A Rebound?,” Foley Ignite (August 15, 2023)
Co-author, “Positioning for the Exit at the Entrance”, Foley Ignite (August 15, 2023)
Co-author, “Looking at the Impact of Venture Capital and the Future of Technology Innovation,” Legaltech News (August, 2023)
Co-Author, “Cultural Alignment in Mergers and Acquisitions: The Key to Successful Integration”, Foley Ignite (July 18, 2023)
Author, “What’s Next for Silicon Valley?”, Foley Ignite (July 18, 2023)
Co-author, “Will the Downturn in IPOs and Valuations for Venture-Backed Technology Companies Lead to the Demise of Dual-Class Voting Structures?,” Foley Ignite (June 27, 2023)
Co-author, “Key Considerations for Founders Exploring M&A as an Exit Strategy,” Foley Ignite (June 26, 2023)
Author, “Good News in Digital Health,” Foley Ignite (June 23, 2023)
Co-author, “Early Stage Startup Financing in 2023,” Foley Ignite (June 6, 2023)
Co-author, “The Evolving Landscape of Enterprise SaaS,” Foley Ignite (May 30, 2023)
Co-author, “The US Economy is Strong, the Stock Market is Steady, so Where Did All the M&A Deals Go?”, National Law Journal (May 17, 2023)
Co-author, “2023 M&A Outlook,” Foley Ignite (May 29, 2023)
Author, “Deep Dive into Generative AI and What Will Drive Tomorrow,” Foley Ignite (March 24, 2023)
Author, “Action in venture capital is focused on early stage and AI business,” Foley Ignite (February 10, 2023)
Author, “Tech Trends to Watch in 2023,” LegalTech News (January 2023)
Co-author, “What Should an Economic Downturn Mean for Technology M&A Activity, and How Should Buyers and Sellers Get Ready for the Coming Cycle,” Reuters Westlaw (November 2022)
Co-author, “Venture Debt is Filling Void for Life Sciences with Equity Markets Under Siege,” Venture Capital Journal (October 2022)
Co-author, “5 Ways the Self-Preferencing Bill May Affect Tech Mergers,” Law360 (July 2022)
Co-author, “Stop Making Sense: What’s New in the Law of Digital Tokens,” Reuters Westlaw (May 2022)
Co-author, “Building Safe Playgrounds for the Legal Metaverse,” LegalTech News (May 2022)
Author, “Digital Real Estate: Virtual Land Owning in 2022,” Reuters Westlaw (March 2022)
Co-author, “The Drawbacks Of The SEC’s Stealth Digital Assets Regulation,” Law360 (February 2022)
Co-author, “The Law of Tokenomics, Revisited,” VentureBeat (January 2022)
Co-author, “Updated California automatic renewal law: what businesses need to know,” Westlaw Today (December 2021)
Co-author, “DeFi and the DAO: How the Law Needs to Change to Accommodate Decentralized Autonomous Organizations,” LegalTech News (December 2021)
Co-author, “Live, Work and Play in a Legal Metaverse: Preparing for a New Online Existence,” IP Watchdog (December 2021)
Co-author, “A Checklist Of Legal Considerations For The NFT Marketplace,” Crunchbase (November 2021)
Author, “Meet the new SPAC circus ringleader: the PIPE investor,” Westlaw Today (September 2021)
Author, “Looking into the future of a legal metaverse?” VentureBeat (September 2021)
Co-author, “How to Limit Your Data Liability,” LegalTech News (July 2021)
Co-author, “Increasing investment in EdTech scaling beyond the pandemic,” Westlaw Today (July 2021)
Author, “What to expect for cybersecurity investment as we emerge from the pandemic,” Westlaw Today (June 2021)
Author, “Are SPACs Dying Off? A Few Points to Consider about the Future of SPACs,” VC List (June 2021)
Co-author, “Designing NFT Marketplaces,” Digital Connect Mag (May 2021)
Author, “A Critical Look at Equity Crowdfunding,” ReadWrite (May 2021)
Author, “Venture capital in the headlights: How President Biden’s proposed changes to capital gains could impact the innovation economy,” Thomson Reuters Westlaw (May 2021)
Author, “The future of virtual deal-making and the return to work,” VentureBeat (May 2021)
Author, “Preparing for the future of work,” Young UpStarts (May 2021)
Author, “Examining the risks and benefits of IPO alternatives: direct listings and SPACs,” Thomson Reuters Westlaw (April 2021)
Co-author (with Brandee Diamond and Eric Chow), “Healthcare Shines in M&A’s Major Comeback so far in 2021,” Healthcare Innovation” (April 2021)

Languages

French

Speaking Engagements

Moderator “CEO Series: Fireside Chat with Dan Springer” (March 20, 2024)
Moderator “Navigating the Federal Trade Commission in 2024” (March 21, 2024)
Panelist “AI Regulations for Startups and Investors (February 2, 2024)
Panelist The Current State of Venture Transactions Webinar with 4thly (December 8, 2023)
Moderator NACD Private Company Compliance Webinar (November 7, 2023)
Panelist Webinar Discussion on Outbound Investment Screening (August 28, 2023)
Panelist Biotech Industry Trends 2023 (July 21, 2023)
Panelist, “Hottest trends in cybersecurity and today’s funding landscape,” RSA Conference (April 25, 2023)
Panelist, “What Questions should directors bring to their next board meeting after SVB’s failure?” National Association of Corporate Directors, March 24, 2023
Panelist, “How Reverse CFIUS Proposal Could Impact Outbound Investments,” National Association of Corporate Directors, January 18, 2023
Panelist, “Shifting Sands: Market Transformation and the Future of SPACs,” West Coast M&A/Private Equity Forum (September 29, 2022)
Moderator, “Outlook for SPACs in 2022 and Beyond,” California Lawyers Associate 2022 Annual Meeting (September 17, 2022)
Speaker, “Legal Considerations when Launching an NFT Marketplace” (January 31, 2022)
Panelist, “West Coast Attorney Forum 2022,” (January 26, 2022)
Speaker, “Venture Financings: Adding Business Value as a GC,” TechGC Fullstack GC Conference (July 23, 2021)
Panelist, “Blockchain & Tackling NFTs in Sports & Entertainment,” Foley & Lardner (June 29, 2021)
Panelist, “Startup Venture Trends 2021,” 4thly Accelerator (February 1, 2021)
Panelist, “Garage to Global: In-House Warrior,” Corporate Counsel Business Journal (January 10, 2021)

Sectors

Practice Areas

Admissions

California
New York

Experience

Venture Capital & Growth Equity

LLehot@foley.com

650.251.1222

525 University Avenue, Suite 500, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Copyright © 2026 Louis Lehot. All rights reserved.

Experience

Venture Capital & Growth Equity

LLehot@foley.com

650.251.1222

525 University Avenue, Suite 500, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Copyright © 2026 Louis Lehot. All rights reserved.

AI Assistant Disclaimer