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Pitch Day Boston

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Morrison Foerster’s Life Sciences and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practices are excited to host an in-person Pitch Day at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Cambridge, MA on October 23, 2024.

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Morrison Foerster’s Life Sciences and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practices hosted an in-person Pitch Day, where a select group of companies presented to a panel of industry investors and attorneys before a live audience. The event showcased innovative startups and provided opportunities for entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, attorneys, and other members of the Boston startup community to network, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections within the life sciences and technology ecosystem.<hr>

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Michael (Mike) Ward is co-chair of the firm's Life Sciences + Healthcare Group and Food + Agriculture Group.Life SciencesFor his work across the life sciences sector, Mike was named San Francisco Biotechnology Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America in 2020 and is recommended for his patent strategy and prosecution practice in LMG Life Sciences. He also led the team that was named 2022 Patent Management and Strategy Firm of the Year at the 2022 LMG Life Sciences Americas Awards.Food + AgricultureRecognized as “one of the world’s foremost plant and agriculture IP lawyers,” Mike manages a wide range of intellectual property issues related to plants and plant products. He and his team advise clients on plant and plant utility patents; licensing agreements for plant IP; litigation in U.S. state and federal court and before the International Trade Commission; and regulatory approvals from the USDA, FDA, and EPA for gene edited and genetically engineered plants.Patent Strategy + ProsecutionMike is a Legal 500 US Hall of Fame lawyer for patent prosecution and is consistently named one of the leading IP lawyers by Managing Intellectual Property, Chambers USA and Chambers Global, and IAM Patent 1000.Mike works closely with many clients to develop and manage their patent portfolios. He helps clients identify, monitor, and assess the infringement risks of third-party patents. He also assists clients in preparing both offensive and defensive patent portfolios, with a particular emphasis on drafting patent applications that will be utilized in licensing and in litigation efforts.IP Due DiligenceFor venture capitalists seeking to invest in early- and mid-stage companies, underwriters involved in IPOs, and companies seeking to acquire or merge with other companies, Mike has managed extensive IP diligence. His work includes assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of patent portfolios, evaluation of freedom to operate issues, and strategic recommendations for maximizing the value of patent portfolios going forward.Mike also works closely with the IP Litigation Group on various litigation matters including patent interferences to determine the first-to-invent and patent re-examination work and actively participates in both mediation and arbitration proceedings on behalf of clients in the life sciences and food and agriculture areas.He is a frequent lecturer and speaker. Among numerous speaking engagements, Mike is the IP instructor at the UC Davis Licensing Academy and founded Morrison Foerster’s annual Harvard Biotechnology Club Fall Patent Law Course.Mike holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology (biochemistry) and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of California, Davis; a B.S. in biology from the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. He was a post-doctoral fellow in plant molecular biology at the Harvard Medical School and the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he worked on the Arabidopsis genome project.

Michael Ward

Partner

Shannon Sibold is the Managing Partner of Morrison Foerster’s Austin office and a partner in the firm’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group. Her practice focuses on corporate finance and securities matters, including private financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and corporate governance. Shannon advises emerging-growth and venture-backed companies throughout their entire lifecycle, from formation and early architectural and governance decisions through seed, growth, and later-stage financings, strategic partnerships, and liquidity events. She also regularly counsels management teams and boards of directors on matters of corporate governance and shareholder relations. In addition to representing companies, Shannon works closely with angel investors, venture capital funds, and strategic corporate investors in connection with their investments in high-growth companies. Her experience spans hundreds of venture capital and growth equity transactions, including complex financings and strategic deals involving technology and innovation-driven businesses. Drawing on deep experience across corporate, securities, and M&A matters, Shannon is known for her practical, business-oriented approach and for guiding founders, executives, and investors through the legal and strategic challenges that arise at every stage of growth. Before beginning her legal career, Shannon competed internationally as a member of Canada’s long-track speed-skating national team, an experience that shaped the results-oriented mindset and collaborative work style she brings to her practice.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Company-Side Representation (including financings, M&A transactions, restructurings, and corporate governance) </h5><ul><li>Lennar Corporation, one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S. </li><li>Zoox, Inc., an autonomous vehicle developer </li><li>AgVend, Inc., the leading provider of digital solutions that help agribusinesses operate and engage with customers </li><li>Optain Health, Inc., a healthcare technology company using AI and imaging to detect eye and systemic diseases earlier </li><li>Ascertain Systems, Inc., an agentic AI platform that delivers end-to-end automation across care management and revenue cycle workflows </li><li>Spektion, Inc., a company helping clients control their software supply chain security and manage third-party risk </li><li>EcoCart Sciences, Inc., a sustainability platform that helps e-commerce brands measure their environmental impact and offset order emissions </li><li>Propmatic, Inc., an AI-driven PropTech platform optimizing real estate marketing and digital lead generation </li><li>Fastn, an AI-powered orchestration platform for developers to connect any data flow </li><li>All Day Kitchens, a kitchen platform enabling restaurants to expand reach </li><li>Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a nonprofit corporation founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry committed to unlocking the amazing potential of every child </li><li>DPR Construction, one of the top 50 general contractors in the United States </li></ul><h5>Venture Capital Funds and Corporate Venture Capital Investors </h5><ul><li>Base10 Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm partnering with entrepreneurs who are bringing automation to traditional sectors of the economy </li><li>Fifth Wall Ventures, the largest asset manager investing at the intersection of real estate and technology </li><li>LenX, the venture capital arm of Lennar Corporation </li><li>EJF Capital, a global alternative asset management firm specializing in regulatory event-driven investing across financial services and real estate </li><li>Adverb Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm </li><li>Gradient Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage artificial intelligence (AI) startups </li><li>Frameworks Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm.</li></ul>

Shannon Sibold

Managing Partner, Austin

Lawrence Gallick is a partner in the firm’s Austin office and a member of the Technology Transactions Group.Lawrence focuses his practice on technology transactions and licensing matters. His diverse experience includes advising on SaaS agreements, cross-licensing agreements, research and collaboration agreements, development agreements, and distribution agreements. He counsels a broad range of companies across the software, hardware, life sciences, biotech and FinTech spaces, as well as other entities including universities.He advises clients in connection with general corporate matters including contract negotiations, and leasing and technology placement agreements.In 2023, Lawrence seconded at Amazon Lab126, where he led the negotiation of high-profile licensing deals for a variety of Amazon device teams. The secondment was an immersive opportunity to gain additional insights and experience from the perspective of in-house counsel. Lawrence also serves as co-editor of <a href="https://www.sociallyawareblog.com/" target="_blank">Socially Aware</a>, the firm’s award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media, and regularly publishes on various IP and technology-related topics.Prior to joining the firm, Lawrence was counsel at another major law firm. Before earning his law degree, Lawrence was a web consultant, project manager, and web developer in Portland, Oregon, where he managed and consulted on projects using industry methodologies and performed custom development and integration of content management systems.Lawrence was named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in 2015 and 2018–2022, and is licensed in California, New York, and Texas. Lawrence earned his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where he was the electronic systems editor for the Buffalo Law Review and awarded the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law.

Lawrence Gallick

Murray Indick is a corporate partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Group.Murray represents fast-growing innovative businesses, catering to a diverse range of clients that span from visionary entrepreneurs to well‑established companies in later stages of development. With almost forty years of experience in corporate law, investment funds, and related fields, Murray has garnered extensive expertise through private practice as well as his roles as partner and general counsel to Blum Capital Partners (1997 – 2004) and partner and general counsel to Prides Capital Partners (2004 – 2010). Throughout his tenure with these firms, which collectively raised and deployed approximately $6 billion, Murray successfully made strategic investments across the globe.In recognition of his exceptional client service, Murray was honored as one of only twelve attorneys from the Bay Area named to BTI Consulting Group’s prestigious list of “Client Service All-Stars” in 2015. Notably, he has also been consistently recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 as a leading national lawyer in the field of Startups and Emerging Companies. Legal 500 US has also acknowledged Murray’s exceptional capabilities in M&A/Corporate work since 2017.Murray’s transactional experience encompasses a broad spectrum of corporate matters, including venture financings, acquisitions, mergers, fund formation, PIPE investments, corporate restructurings, corporate governance, and compliance programs. His clients, regardless of their size, rely on his ability to provide practical, innovative, and insightful advice to navigate legal challenges and pivotal transactions successfully.A substantial portion of Murray’s practice is dedicated to the formation of investment funds, with a particular focus on venture capital funds. He consistently provides transactional and advisory services to these funds, often serving as their trusted outside general counsel.Murray routinely collaborates closely with senior management teams and board of directors of various businesses. He brings valuable expertise to the table, having previously served on corporate boards of esteemed public companies. He also actively contributes his insights as a board member to start-up companies and private businesses, leveraging his extensive experience in this capacity.In 2014, Murray took on the role of outside counsel for the Los Angeles Clippers, supporting the team during the transitional period after the NBA suspended their owner, Donald Sterling. His expertise played a crucial role in facilitating the smooth transition to new ownership. Murray attained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with honors, magna cum laude, in 1984 from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree in 1981 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied history and English and graduated magna cum laude. Following law school, Murray clerked for Judge Walter E. Black, Jr., in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland.

Murray Indick

Michael Glaser is a partner in both the San Francisco and Seattle offices. He serves as Co-Head of the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Practice and is the Seattle Office Managing Partner. Described as “one of the finest venture capital lawyers I have ever worked with” by a client in Chambers USA, Michael brings more than two decades of experience advising entrepreneurs and investors in starting and scaling technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the 2026 launch of Morrison Foerster’s Seattle office, Michael splits his time between the two regions. Michael represents startups from formation through exit across a wide range of industries, including consumer e-commerce, artificial intelligence, interactive entertainment, digital media, consumer products, sharing economy, cloud services, enterprise software, fintech, and digital health. His work spans the full lifecycle of a company, from early architectural decisions through growth financing, strategic partnerships, and liquidity events, allowing him to advise clients with a systems-level perspective on risk, governance, and long-term value creation. He has represented startups in hundreds of venture capital transactions with pre-money valuations ranging from the millions to the billions, and his clients have been backed by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital, Greylock, Benchmark, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, and Khosla Ventures. Michael also advises companies in mergers and acquisitions, including numerous high-value exits with repeat acquirers across the technology sector. In addition to client work, Michael is an active industry thought leader. He has served on the Model Document Working Group of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), the Corporate Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California, and the ABA Working Group on Legal Opinions. Michael helped Standard Capital in developing their unique closing process and streamlined financing agreements. He also brings significant management experience to his role at the firm. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Michael co-chaired another international law firm’s largest practice group, overseeing ten subgroups, more than 300 lawyers, and a practice with a P&L in the hundreds of millions. Michael serves as a trustee for two independent schools in the Bay Area and sits on the board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Michael is consistently recognized by leading legal publications, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers in America, and Martindale-Hubbell, where he is rated AV Preeminent®. <h4>Selected Exit Transactions </h4><ul><li>Represented AddLive in its sale to Snap (NYSE: SNAP). </li><li>Represented Applifier in its sale to Unity Technologies (NYSE: U). </li><li>Represented Amino Health in its sale to Judi Health / Capital Rx. </li><li>Represented Candywriter in its sale to Stillfront Group. </li><li>Represented Cloudup in its sale to Automattic. </li><li>Represented CourseRank in a merger with Chegg (NYSE: CHGG). </li><li>Represented Fictiv in its sale to MISUMI Group. </li><li>Represented Freeverse Inc. in its sale to ngmco. </li><li>Represented GlobalMotion Media Inc. (publisher of EveryTrail.com) in its sale to Trip Advisor (Nasdaq: TRIP). </li><li>Represented Hackpad in its sale to Dropbox (Nasdaq: DBX). </li><li>Represented Jambool in a merger transaction with Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG). </li></ul><ul><li>Represented Liquid Audio (Nasdaq:LQID) in its sale of technology assets to Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT). </li><li>Represented Originator in its sale to Spin Master (TSX:TOY). </li><li>Represented PullString in its sale to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL). </li><li>Represented Rupture.com in an acquisition by Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS). </li><li>Represented Snapcentric in its sale to Verisign (Nasdaq:VRSN). </li><li>Represented TenMarks in its sale to Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). </li><li>Represented Wondery in its sale to Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN).</li></ul>

Michael Glaser

Co-Head of Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Practice

Leo Martin is a corporate partner in the Transactions Department and the Mergers + Acquisitions Group, based in the firm’s Boston and New York offices.His practice focuses on advising public and private companies in complex corporate transactions, including domestic and cross-border M&A, carve-out transactions, venture investments, and joint ventures. He regularly represents private equity sponsors and clients in a range of industries, including technology, food + agriculture, financial services, manufacturing, and consumer products.Leo earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia College at Columbia University. Prior to joining the firm’s Boston office, Leo spent a number of years in Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo office, where he worked on a variety of cross-border M&A transactions.

Leo Martin

Nathan Vogler is a Partner in the firm’s Patent Group and heads the patent group’s Materials Science and Energy Storage practice. His practice concentrates on domestic and international patent prosecution, IP due diligence, IP counseling, IP portfolio management, and IP litigation support including patent infringement and validity determinations. Nathan has handled matters in all stages of patent prosecution, including new application drafting, office action responses, patent appeals, and continuation and divisional filings. He has drafted and prosecuted patents in various technology areas, including polymer chemistry, composite materials, industrial processing, nanotechnology, catalysts, batteries, magnets, consumer electronics, and software. In addition, Nathan has experience handling reexaminations, reissue applications, and supplemental examinations before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.In addition to his patent prosecution experience, Nathan also has considerable experience in adversarial proceedings before the USPTO including inter partes review proceedings instituted by the America Invents Act. He has experience representing both Petitioners and Patent Owners, and has represented clients in all stages of the proceedings, such as drafting petitions, patent owner responses, expert depositions, and oral hearings before the PTAB.Representative completed post-grant matters include the following:<ul><li>IPR2021-00210, -00211, -00213: Successfully defended patent owner Malvern against three inter partes reviews, resulting in petition denials.</li><li>IPR2017-01312: Successfully defended patent owner HML. The USPTO found all claims patentable in a final written decision.</li><li>IPR2014-01266, -01313: Defended patent owner HML against two inter partes reviews by different parties, resulting in claim survival or petition denial.</li></ul>Nathan received his J.D. with high honors from The George Washington University Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the George Washington Law Review. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering, with a minor in chemistry, summa cum laude from Purdue University. While in law school, Mr. Vogler was a summer associate at Morrison Foerster.Nathan is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, Virginia and District of Columbia and is registered to practice before the USPTO.

Nathan Vogler

Jillian brings over a decade of experience in patent prosecution and strategy to her practice. Her practice focuses on patent preparation and prosecution, patent portfolio management, and patent due diligence for life sciences and biotech companies in a wide array of fields, including biologics, pharmaceuticals, cell therapy, cancer therapeutics, personalized medicine, neurodegenerative disease, biofuels, and agricultural biotechnology. She has experience developing and managing U.S. and worldwide patent portfolios, developing global patent strategies, performing due diligence analyses, filing Patent Term Extension applications, and providing strategic advice to align patent strategy with business goals. Jillian also assists clients in technology transaction matters, including licenses and collaborations for development and commercialization.Dr. Pesin-Fulop received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she received the Law and Technology Certificate and earned the Jurisprudence Award in copyright law. Before attending law school, Dr. Pesin-Fulop was a scientific analyst and patent agent with the firm.Dr. Pesin-Fulop received her Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She graduated magna cum laude from Williams College with a B.A. in biology and Russian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Jillian Pesin-Fulop

Of Counsel

John Hensley is a partner in the firm’s Capital Markets and Public Company Advisory & Governance practices. He represents publicly and privately held companies in a variety of corporate and securities law matters.John represents both issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings, follow-on offerings and private placements, including offerings of common and preferred equity, debt, and convertible debt. In addition, John regularly advises numerous public company clients regarding general business matters, corporate governance issues and compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.<h4 dir="ltr">Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Represented Carlsmed, Inc. (Nasdaq: CARL) in connection with its $100.5 million initial public offering</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM), the world’s leading semiconductor IP company, in its blockbuster $5.22 billion USD IPO on Nasdaq, the largest IPO of 2023</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Centuri Holdings and parent company Southwest Gas Holdings in $353 million IPO and concurrent private placement</li></ul><ul dir="ltr"><li dir="ltr">Represented Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRYS) in multiple equity offerings, with an aggregate value of approximately $635 million</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. in its $238.4 million public offering of common stock</li><li dir="ltr">Represented UDR, Inc. (NYSE:UDR) in connection with multiple public debt offerings with an aggregate value of approximately $1.3 billion and in connection with multiple public equity offerings with an aggregate value of over $2 billion</li><li dir="ltr">Advised eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) in connection with a $1.15 billion offering of senior unsecured notes under its existing shelf registration statement and in connection with a $2.5 billion offering of senior unsecured notes under its existing shelf registration statement</li><li dir="ltr">Advised Sky Harbour LLC, a developer of private aviation infrastructure, in connection with its business combination agreement with Yellowstone Acquisition Company (NASDAQ: YSAC, YSACU, and YSACW), a publicly traded SPAC sponsored by Boston Omaha Corporation (NASDAQ:BOMN); as part of the business combination with Sky Harbour, a subsidiary of Boston Omaha purchased 10,000,000 shares of Yellowstone Class A common stock and acquired additional shares of Class A common stock and warrants to purchase Class A common stock as Yellowstone’s sponsor.</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Vontier Corporation (NYSE:VNT) in connection with its 144A private offering of $1.6 billion in senior notes</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Education Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EDR) in connection with multiple public offerings of debt and equity securities resulting in proceeds in excess of $2.0 billion</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Farmland Partners Inc. (NYSE:FPI) in its $53.2 million initial public offering, its $46.5 million and $37.0 million follow-on offerings, and its $25.0 million at-the-market equity offering</li><li dir="ltr">Represented the underwriters in connection with registered offerings of over $33 billion of fixed and floating rate notes by Shell International Finance, the U.S. financing subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc</li><li dir="ltr">Represented the underwriters in connection with the registered offering of $5 billion of notes by Novartis Capital Corporation, the U.S. financing subsidiary of Novartis AG</li><li dir="ltr">Represented the underwriters in connection with Plymouth Industrial REIT’s approximately $58 million initial public offering, multiple follow-on offerings of common stock, and $45 million offering of preferred stock</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Southwest Gas Corporation in multiple registered debt offerings of over $1.6 billion in the aggregate</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Vonage Holdings Corp. in connection with its $300 million Rule 144A offering of convertible notes</li><li dir="ltr">Represented MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MRT) in its $275 million initial public offering</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Inovalon Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:INOV) in its $685 million initial public offering</li><li dir="ltr">Represented Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:VECO) in two 144A convertible notes offerings of $425 million in the aggregate</li><li dir="ltr">Represented onsemi (NASDAQ:ON) in its $500 million Rule 144A offering of 1.625% senior convertible notes and in its $700 million offering of 3.875% senior unsecured notes</li><li dir="ltr">Represented the sales agents in connection with Equity Residential’s (NYSE:EQR) at-the-market offering program of 13 million common shares</li><li dir="ltr">Represented the underwriters in connection with the establishment of a $300 million at-the-market (ATM) equity offering program by Apple Hospitality REIT</li></ul>

Pitch Day Boston

23 Oct 2024 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM EDT