Alfredo B. D. Silva

Alfredo Silva is a key member of the firm’s Social Enterprise + Impact Investing Group and the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice. He advises companies and investors—particularly in life sciences, agtech, and fintech—on a wide range of corporate and securities matters, with a strong focus on venture capital, growth equity and corporate venture capital financings. Alfredo brings particular expertise in complex restructuring and recapitalization transactions. He also advises both impact-first and return-first investors on building mission lock into their strategies, works with clients to form Delaware public benefit corporations and structure for-profit/non-profit “hybrid” entities that can attract both philanthropic and traditional capital, and on a pro bono basis advises nonprofits and small businesses on formation, structuring and governance matters.

In his private company practice, Mr. Silva has served as company or investor counsel in early- and late-stage financings, minority strategic investments and impact investments in over a hundred private companies, including representation of SoftBank and SoftBank Vision Fund in financings with a combined value of over $2 billion, Temasek in its $800 million minority investment in Verily Life Sciences, an Alphabet company, and Visa Ventures in strategic fintech investments around the world.

In his public company practice, Alfredo counsels issuers on strategic transactions, such as the stock-for-stock merger of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. with Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp, as well as corporate governance and compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and stock exchange listing standards, including advising on cutting-edge issues with respect to ESG disclosures and materiality assessments.

In addition, Mr. Silva works extensively with nonprofit organizations, providing advice on fiduciary issues, entity formation, structuring and other corporate matters, and assists small businesses pro bono. He incorporated and continues to advise Illuminate, the nonprofit producer of The Bay Lights, a 25,000 LED sculpture on the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, in structuring, corporate governance, and project management matters. Mr. Silva currently chairs the audit committees of the boards of directors of Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a nonprofit founded by three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and The New York Times bestselling author Ayesha Curry to unleash the potential of every child, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which for nearly 30 years has been pursuing a future where health justice is achieved for all people living with or at risk for HIV, both of which Mr. Silva has previously advised as corporate counsel.

Alfredo is recognized by The Recorder as a 2013 Lawyer on the Fast Track, in 2014 was the inaugural recipient of the firm’s Kathi Pugh Award for Pro Bono Service, is a 2017 Lawyers Committee for Legal Diversity Fellow, and was the recipient of the American Bar Association’s 2023 National Public Service Award.

Experience

Marrone Bio Innovations' Acquisition by Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp

Represented Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. in its $244 million acquisition by Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. in a stock-for-stock merger.

Temasek’s Joint Venture with Bayer

Represented Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd. in connection with a joint venture with Bayer to create Unfold Bio, Inc., a new venture to focus on innovation in vegetable varieties with the goal of lifting the vertical farming space to the next level of quality, efficiency and sustainability. We also assisted Temasek in the initial Series A financing and negotiation of a licensing agreement between Bayer and Unfold Bio.

SoftBank Group and SoftBank Vision Fund’s Investment Transactions

Represented SoftBank Group and SoftBank Vision Fund in over $2 billion of nine-figure transactions, including investments in online lending platform Kabbage, Inc., the autonomous vehicle company Nauto, AI company Brain Corporation and infectious disease blood tester Karius, Inc.

Temasek's Investment in Verily Life Sciences and Agtech Space

Represented Singapore investment fund Temasek in its $800 million investment in Verily Life Sciences, Alphabet/Google's life sciences division, and multiple investments in the agtech space.

Intel's Investment in Cloudera

Represented Intel Corporation in its $740 million acquisition of an 18% stake in Cloudera, Inc.

Visa's Strategic Investments in the Fintech Space

Represented Visa Ventures in nearly two dozen fintech investments in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia, including Plaid, GoodData, Flutterwave, and others.

Ceva Inc.'s Public Offering

Represented Ceva, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEVA) in its $67 million confidentially marketed public offering of common stock in November 2025.

Marrone Bio Innovations’ Public Offerings

Represented Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBII), a leading provider of bio-based pest-management and plant health products, as issuer's counsel in an initial public offering, follow-on common stock offerings, private placements, debt refinance and warrant restructure transactions for nearly $300 million.

Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc.’s Stock and Warrant Financings

Represented Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EKSO), a leading developer of exoskeleton solutions that amplify human potential for medical and industrial uses, as issuer's counsel in multiple public and private stock and warrant offerings.

Temasek's Investment in Coherus, Inc.

Represented Temasek in its investment of up to $150 million in biosimilar therapeutics company Coherus, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS), in a private placement transition.

Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. IPO/Reverse Merger and Public Offerings

Represented Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBIO) in its IPO/reverse merger with Targacept and a $20.7 million underwritten public offering.

RH's Public Offerings

Represented RH Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RH), a luxury home furnishings retailer, as issuer's counsel on its initial public offering, two secondary offerings of common stock, and an offering of convertible notes for a combined $1.7 billion.

InvenSense's Public Offerings

Represented InvenSense, Inc. (NYSE: INVN), a leading provider of motion processing solutions for consumer electronics, as issuer's counsel on its initial public offering, a follow-on offering of common stock and an offering of convertible senior notes for a combined $372 million.

At-the-Market Programs

Represented Cassava Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAVA) and DURECT Corporation (Nasdaq: DRRX) in their adoption of at-the-market equity offering program.

Marrone Bio Innovations’ Acquisition of Pro Farm and Jet-Ag

Represented Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. in its stock-for-stock acquisition of Finnish biofertilizer company Pro Farm, as well as its acquisition of the Jet-Ag and Jet-Oxide product lines from Jet Harvest.

SoftBank's Acquisition of Sprint

Represented SoftBank Corp. in its acquisition of a 70% stake in wireless operator Sprint Nextel Corporation for an enterprise value of $44.8 billion in the largest Asian acquisition or investment in the U.S.

Novellus' Merger with Lam Research

Represented Novellus Systems, Inc. in its stock-for-stock merger with Lam Research, Inc., estimated to be the fourth biggest semiconductor merger in 2011 at approximately $3.3 billion.

Shutterfly's Acquisition of Tiny Prints

Represented Shutterfly, Inc. in its stock and cash acquisition of Tiny Prints, Inc., valued at approximately $460 million.

Rankings

Recommended for M&A / Corporate and Commercial: Venture Capital and Emerging Companies

The Legal 500 US 2024, 2025

Recommended for Finance: Fintech

The Legal 500 US 2024

‘Notable Practitioner’ in Capital Markets: Equity

IFLR1000 2024

National Public Service Award

American Bar Association 2023

Up and Coming for Impact Investing

Chambers USA

Up and Coming for Venture Capital: California