Suzanne Graeser is a partner in the Corporate Finance Group of the firm’s Palo Alto office and a co-chair of the Emerging Companies/Venture Capital Group. Ms. Graeser’s practice focuses on start-up and other emerging businesses with an emphasis on entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, private debt and equity financings, executive compensation and other general business transactions. Ms. Graeser has represented private companies on general business matters and transactions (including complex restructuring) for over 20 years. She has also represented venture capital and angel investors in connection with investments in start-up and later stage debt and equity financings. Ms. Graeser has extensive experience representing limited liability companies and limited partnerships in their structuring, formation, funding and operations.

Representative matters include the following:

Merger and Acquisitions

• Represented privately held transportation company in its $630 million sale to a strategic buyer.
• Represented iUniverse, Inc., an online publishing company, in its sale to an affiliate of Author Solutions, Inc.
• Represented a privately-held manufacturer of high end ski boats in its $83 acquisition by a private equity firm.
• Represented Relevant Business Systems, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software provider, in its asset sale to a private equity firm.
• Represented a privately-held telecommunications company in its $835 million acquisition by a private equity fund.
• Represented Cavium Networks in its acquisition of Menlo Logic.
• Represented a privately-held food storage company in its $165 million asset sale to a publicly held company.
• Represented D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, a manufacturer of amusement rides in its sale to Chance-Morgan Coasters.
• Represented Online Partners.com, Inc. in its merger with PlanetOut Corporation to form Planetout Partners, creating a global online media company.
• Represented Sharewave, Inc., a wireless home networking company, in its merger with Cirrus Logic, Inc.

Debt and Equity Financings and Investments.

• Represented venture capital fund in multiple investments of over $50 million in later stage technology start ups.
• Represented venture capital fund in its $14 million investment and formation of a joint venture to exploit certain biotech assets.
• Represented venture capital fund in its $10 million investment and formation of a joint venture to provide management and consulting services to residential whole mortgage loans, including making available up $500 million of additional invested capital.
• Represented numerous start-ups in early and late stage debt and equity investments.

Ms. Graeser is a current Advisor and former Chair of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar (“BLS”). She also serves as an Advisor to the Business Law News, BLS’s quarterly publication on business law issues. Ms. Graeser was formerly the Co-Chair of the Corporations Committee of the BLS. Ms. Graeser was also a member on the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Santa County Bar. Ms. Graeser served on the Editorial Committee of the 2003 Guide to California Securities Law Practice published by the BLS Corporations Committee.

Ms. Graeser is a member of the Santa Clara County, State Bar of California and American Bar Associations. Ms. Graeser received her B.A. degree from Claremont McKenna College in 1983 and her J.D. degree from the University of California at Davis in 1987.