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Women's Venture Capital Summit

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MoFo’s Private Funds and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital team is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the Women’s Venture...

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MoFo’s Private Funds and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital team is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the Women’s Venture Capital Summit, an annual event dedicated to fostering connections, collaboration, and community for women in venture capital .MoFo Partners will be leading two panels at the event:The Search for Great Companies and Returns: Where Will It Lead Investors in 2026?<ul><li>Shiri Shenhav, Morrison Foerster, Moderator</li><li>Carolina Brochado, Head of EQT Ventures & Founding Partner of EQT Growth, EQT Partners</li><li>Kelly Chen, Founder & Managing Partner, Physical AI & Deep Tech</li><li>Holly Maloney, Managing Director, General Catalyst</li><li>Lila Tretikov, Partner, Head of AI Strategy, NEA</li></ul>LP-GP Relations: Raising Capital from Non-Traditional Sources: What Does It Take?<ul><li>Hila Cohen, Partner, Morrison Foerster, Moderator</li><li>Ingrid Teigland Akay, Managing Partner, Hadean Ventures</li><li>Elizabeth Harrow, Partner, Shakti VC</li><li>Meghan Reynolds, Partner, Head of Capital Formation & Talent, Altimeter</li><li>Kerry Wong, Head of Investor Relations, Pantera Capital</li></ul><hr>

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Stephanie, Chair of the firm’s global Private Funds Group, has over 20 years of experience advising on private fund formation and operations, as well as on regulatory compliance matters. She represents U.S. domestic and global fund sponsors and institutional investors in connection with the formation of, and investments in, buyout funds, venture capital funds, secondary funds, debt funds, infrastructure funds, fund–of–funds, social impact funds and other private funds with a broad range of investment strategies. She has been described by a client as “extremely knowledgeable in the fund formation space, very good to work with and thoughtful about the needs of her clients.”Private Fund Sponsors. Stephanie represents fund sponsors and the management teams of private funds in the formation of their private funds, as well as in ongoing fund operations, including upper–tier planning, parallel and feeder fund structures, alternative and offshore vehicles, securities law matters, ERISA compliance, transfers or sales of partnership interests, including secondary transactions, and other tax and regulatory matters.She has considerable experience negotiating anchor investor arrangements, navigating cross–border fund matters, structuring co–investment and overage programs, representing firms and individual partners at the time of hire or departure (including involuntary removal), and the formation of feeder vehicles, parallel funds and special purpose vehicles. She also advises U.S. and international companies in the structuring of their corporate venture capital programs.Institutional Investors. Stephanie has advised institutional investors in hundreds of private fund formations, involving foreign and domestic funds ranging in size from $40 million to $21 billion. These investors, including state and corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, universities, fund-of-funds, insurance companies, and other institutional investors, have commitments ranging from $5 million - $1 billion on a per-deal basis. Her experience includes representing significant limited partner investors in some of the largest private market funds ever raised.Investment Advisers. Stephanie advises fund sponsors and other investment advisers on the principal aspects of the Investment Advisers Act and the Dodd–Frank Act. She assists her clients in navigating the regulatory landscape, including new state and federal registration requirements, exemption eligibility, compliance programs and ongoing compliance matters.Stephanie works in the firm’s Palo Alto office and is active in the business community. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, she was a member of the fund formation group in the Palo Alto office of Cooley LLP.

Stephanie Thomas

Chair of Global Private Funds Group

Elizabeth Sipes is a private funds attorney based in the firm’s Denver office.Elizabeth’s practice focuses on advising established and emerging sponsors on the formation, structuring, and operation of private equity funds, including venture capital, growth equity, buyout, private credit, and fund-of-funds, and other investment strategies.In her practice, Elizabeth advises sponsors on all aspects of fund formation and launch. This includes drafting and negotiating a spectrum of documentation ranging from term sheets, partnership agreements, side letters, and subscription agreements, to structuring general partner and upper-tier arrangements, including carry programs and other economic sharing programs.Additionally, Elizabeth represents institutional investors, including corporate venture capital programs, funds-of-funds, and family offices, assisting them with their alternative investments across various asset classes, including private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and real estate.Beyond her professional pursuits, Elizabeth is actively involved in her community, serving on the board of directors of the Walking Mountains Science Center.Elizabeth has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Securities and Capital Markets Law (2021–2026).Prior to joining the firm, Elizabeth was co-chair of the Private Investment Funds practice at another international law firm.Elizabeth holds a J.D. magna cum laude from University of Illinois College of Law and a B.A. in French and business from Truman State University.

Elizabeth Sipes

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

Jae Zhou is a partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice. She advises emerging technology companies in all stages of the startup lifecycle, from formation to exit, and provides strategic advice to founders and investors in connection with complex transactions and other corporate issues.Jae was born in Shanghai and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Jae Zhou

Hila Cohen is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s New York office. Her practice focuses on advising fund sponsors on their organization and raising of private funds, across various investment styles and objectives, with a particular focus on venture capital funds. Hila specializes in collaborating with emerging managers on all aspects relating to the launch of their investment advisory firms and flagship funds, providing practical guidance that leverages her strong technical expertise, market knowledge, and experience navigating investor relationships during negotiations of investment terms and subsequent communications.As part of her practice, Hila also advises clients on regulatory compliance and operational matters. She has considerable experience with managing conflicts of interests, disclosure matters, and other compliance issues, and providing guidance on management arrangements, profit-sharing programs, and succession planning.Hila also regularly represents institutional investors in connection with their investments in private funds across a variety of structures and arrangements, including anchor investor arrangements and co-investments.

Hila Cohen

Shiri Shenhav is a partner in the Transactions Department and the Mergers + Acquisitions Group based in Palo Alto. Shiri maintains a corporate transactional practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and equity investments in the technology industry for public and private companies.Shiri regularly assists strategic buyers and private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, including deal structuring and mechanics, stock and asset purchases, mergers, divestitures, and spin-offs. Shiri also regularly represents companies with respect to their equity investments, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions, as well as general corporate counseling.As an accomplished attorney certified in California and in Israel, Shiri has extensive experience representing multinational corporations and funds in cross-border transactions involving Israeli aspects. Shiri also co-leads the firm’s AI M&A Initiative.Shiri is fluent in Hebrew.<h4 dir="ltr">Representative Experience</h4><ul dir="ltr"><li>SoftBank in connection with its acquisition of Berkshire Grey.</li><li>Vontier Corporation in its sale of Global Traffic Technologies to Miovision.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisitions of Art.com, Aspectiva, BareWeb, CareZone, Eloquii, MeMD, and Zeekit.</li><li>Zivelo in its acquisition by VeriFone.</li><li>Unity Technologies in its acquisition of RestAR.</li><li>Alpine Investors and its managed IT services and software platform Evergreen Services Group in connection with the acquisitions of Alliance Solutions Group, Global Wave Group, and Telco Experts.</li><li>Alpine Investors in its acquisition of Ethisphere. </li><li>Astroscale U.S., the U.S. unit of Astroscale Holdings, in its acquisition of certain the intellectual property and other assets and proposed hiring of certain members of the staff of Effective Space Solutions R&D. </li><li>Gryphon Investors and RegEd in the acquisition of ComplianceMAX and FIRE Continuing Education businesses from National Regulatory Services.</li><li>Mirantis in its acquisition of the Docker Enterprise platform business from Docker.</li><li>Rubicon Technology Partners in its strategic majority investment in the merger of EverTrue and ThankView.</li><li>Peer5 in its sale to Microsoft Corporation.</li><li dir="ltr">Protean Electric in its acquisition by National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB.</li></ul>

Shiri Shenhav

Mingqian Li is a senior associate in Morrison Foerster’s Private Funds and Social Enterprise & Impact Investing practices. She advises clients on the structuring, formation, and operation of private investment funds, including venture capital, private equity, and growth equity vehicles. A significant portion of her practice focuses on innovative fund structures, particularly social impact funds with hybrid arrangements involving nonprofit anchor investors or incubation agreements. Mission-driven funds regularly seek her counsel for aligning investment strategies with social impact objectives.Mingqian guides clients through all aspects of fund formation and operations, including non-U.S. jurisdiction analysis, negotiation of fund documents and side letters, coordination of regulatory and tax considerations, and post-closing obligations. She also advises on ongoing funds’ general corporate matters, including governance, reporting requirements, transfer procedures, and effective LP meeting management.Beyond formation work, Mingqian provides transaction support for her fund clients, offering seamless guidance across both fund and deal matters. Clients value her collaborative, practical approach and her ability to guide them through the operational and strategic challenges of building and managing investment funds.

Women's Venture Capital Summit

02 Feb 2026 - 04 Feb 2026