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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.”

Clients have noted:
  • “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 in 2024
  • Named, Law360‘s 2023 Mergers and Acquisitions Editorial Advisory Board
  • JD Supra, Readers’ Choice Awards, Top Author – M&A, 2024-2025
  • Recognized, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the practice area of Venture Capital (California, 2021-2025) and Startups and Emerging Growth (Nationwide, 2025)
  • 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 to Super Lawyer (M&A, 2021-2025) by Super Lawyers Magazine 
  • Named an advisory board member by the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX) in partnership with Stanford Law School’s Rock Center for corporate governance (2016-2019)

           EDUCATION

  • Boston College Law School (J.D., 2000)
  • Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service (B.S.F.S., 1994)
    • International Law
      • Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Strasbourg (C.E.P., 1993)
        • International Relations
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:

  • Representing Matterport (Nasdaq:  MTTP) in its sale to CoStar Group (NYSE: CSTR) 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 dev-ops 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 W cumulative capacity in North America
  • Represented Semarchy, the Intelligent Data HubTM 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: CBG) 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 Innovationand 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 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 Systemes 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, NYSE: BDCM) 
  • 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, BigID, Degreed, Druva, CloudVirga, One Model, Sauce Labs, SpyCloud
  • 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 merger with Talaris Therapeutics), Inhibrx, Pathys and others, as well as private investments into public entities and royalty deals, including Abivax, Adverum Bio, Compass Pathways Mineralys Therapeutics, Silence Therapeutics and more.
  • Represented Bioluminescence Ventures in making emerging life sciences investments into Cellarity, Tessera Therapeutics, Nido Biopharma, Catalog Technologies 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$265m), 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 and dozens of other transactions in technology, health care and life science startups for over 15 years
  • 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
  • Represented LG Technology Ventures in its initial fund formation and in over a dozen early- to late- stage investments in technology businesses
  • 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, med- device, 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
  • 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 making investments in numerous seed stage fintech companies, and more
  • Represented Cortical Ventures in making AI investments in CaspianDB, Immerok, Weaviate, 2nd Set AI, HOS, SpearAI, and other AI businesses
  • Represented SkyRiver Ventures in making early stage investments in Labrador, Geminus, and other deeptech businesses

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 (dev-ops no-code software platform backed by First Rays Venture Capital, Westwave, Neotribe, and The AI Fund)
  • Represented Bionure (life sciences)
  • 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)
  • Represented Gatik AI (autonomous delivery backed by FM Capital, KDT Ventures, Endeavor)
  • Represented GoodData (enterprise SAAS, backed by General Catalyst, a16z, Intel Capital, and Visa Ventures) 
  • Represented Instock, 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
  • Represented Lumotive, the advanced sensing and perception solutions 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)
  • Represented OpenLight Photonics (semiconductors, backed by Juniper Networks)
  • Represented Regrow Agriculture (agtech, backed by Main Sequence Ventures, M12, AJAX, and the corporate venture arm of Cargill)
  • 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 biopharma industry backed by CityRock Ventures and Mighty Capital)
  • Represented Spire Bioventures
  • Represented Learning Squared, the creator of Square Panda (AI for edtech, backed by Andre Agassi)
  • Represented Tuplejump (big data, sold to 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)
  • Represented WannaSplit (fintech) 
  • Represented WineAccess (consumer internet, backed by Norwest Venture Partners) 
  • Represented Zero Cognitive Systems, Inc. (AI for productivity automation, backed by Streamlined Ventures, Thomson Reuters, OneWay Ventures, Altair, and others)

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:  MTTP)
  • 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, “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
Resources
Legal
Get In Touch
  • Louis Lehot 525 University Ave, Suite 500 Palo Alto, CA 94301
  • llehot@foley.com
  • +1.650.796.7280
  • Contact Us

Helping businesses and ventures with compelling technologies reach their growth objectives with sound legal strategies and solutions.

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