Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's legacy closely traces the birth and evolution of Silicon Valley.
For nearly six decades, Wilson Sonsini has represented the technology pioneers associated with virtually every milestone innovation.
Today, the firm is synonymous with ushering promising, innovative companies through their business life cycle.
Careers
We look for the best and brightest of tomorrow and develop careers from the ground up.
News and Featured Insights
Leading Matters
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Advises NightDragon Acquisition Corp. on Initial Public Offering
On March 4, 2021, NightDragon Acquisition Corp. announced the closing of its initial public offering of 34,500,000 SCALE (Stakeholder-Centered Aligned Listed Equity) units, including 4,500,000 SCALE units pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. Each SCALE unit consists of one share of the company’s Class A common stock and one-fifth of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The SCALE units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per SCALE unit, generating gross proceeds of $345,000,000. The SCALE units began trading on Nasdaq on March 2, 2021, under the symbol “NDACU,” and when the securities comprising the SCALE units begin separate trading, the Class A common stock and warrants are expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “NDAC” and “NDACW,” respectively. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised NightDragon Acquisition Corp. on the initial public offering.
NightDragon Acquisition Corp. was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While it may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector, or geographical location, the company intends to focus its search on the cybersecurity, safety, security, and privacy sector.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as lead book-running manager and Drexel Hamilton acted as co-manager in the offering.
The Wilson Sonsini team that advised NightDragon Acquisition Corp. included the following:
Corporate
Jeff Saper
Robert Day
Bryan King
Angela Chen
James Babikian
Adam Grajewski
Jeff Buckelew
NightDragon Acquisition Corp. was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While it may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector, or geographical location, the company intends to focus its search on the cybersecurity, safety, security, and privacy sector.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as lead book-running manager and Drexel Hamilton acted as co-manager in the offering.
The Wilson Sonsini team that advised NightDragon Acquisition Corp. included the following:
Corporate
Jeff Saper
Robert Day
Bryan King
Angela Chen
James Babikian
Adam Grajewski
Jeff Buckelew
Client Highlights
Firm Advises Janux Therapeutics on Patent Matters Related to $56 Million Series A Financing
On March 3, 2021, Janux Therapeutics, a developer of safe, effective novel immunotherapies using its proprietary Tumor Activated T Cell Engager (TRACTr) technology, announced the close of a $56 million Series A financing. The financing was led by Avalon Ventures and joined by new investors OrbiMed and RA Capital Management, as well as existing investors Bregua and Correlation Ventures. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Janux on patent matters related to the transaction.
T cell engagers are an emerging class of immunotherapies that bind to a tumor cell and recruit a patient’s T cells to eradicate tumor cells. Though T cell engagers have displayed substantial anti-tumor efficacy, existing therapies have been constrained by dose-limiting toxicities and poor pharmacokinetic profiles. Janux’s TRACTr technology is designed to overcome these limitations by integrating tumor-specific activation with crossover pharmacokinetics to produce best-in-class T cell engager therapeutics. The proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to advance Janux’s preclinical pipeline, including a TROP2-TRACTr and PSMA-TRACTr, with expected advancement of the company’s first candidate into the clinic in the first half of next year.
Wilson Sonsini has represented Janux in patent matters since the company’s inception. The team that advised Janux in the Series A financing includes Michael Hostetler, Laurie McNamara, Stephanie Dusaban Gonzales, Alicia Umpierre, and Ciara Alvarez-Malo.
For more information, please see Janux’s press release.
T cell engagers are an emerging class of immunotherapies that bind to a tumor cell and recruit a patient’s T cells to eradicate tumor cells. Though T cell engagers have displayed substantial anti-tumor efficacy, existing therapies have been constrained by dose-limiting toxicities and poor pharmacokinetic profiles. Janux’s TRACTr technology is designed to overcome these limitations by integrating tumor-specific activation with crossover pharmacokinetics to produce best-in-class T cell engager therapeutics. The proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to advance Janux’s preclinical pipeline, including a TROP2-TRACTr and PSMA-TRACTr, with expected advancement of the company’s first candidate into the clinic in the first half of next year.
Wilson Sonsini has represented Janux in patent matters since the company’s inception. The team that advised Janux in the Series A financing includes Michael Hostetler, Laurie McNamara, Stephanie Dusaban Gonzales, Alicia Umpierre, and Ciara Alvarez-Malo.
For more information, please see Janux’s press release.
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Represents WuXi AppTec in Acquisition of OXGENE
On March 2, 2021, WuXi AppTec, a leading global provider of R&D- and manufacturing-enabling services in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, announced that it has completed its acquisition of OXGENE, a pioneering United Kingdom-based contract research and development organization that designs and develops scalable gene therapy technologies. The acquisition enables WuXi AppTec to offer its customers end-to-end support in the creation and development of cutting-edge cell and gene therapies for patients in need worldwide. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati represented WuXi AppTec in the transaction, in collaboration with Taylor Wessing, which served as UK counsel.
OXGENE will become a fully owned subsidiary of WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), WuXi AppTec’s cell and gene therapy contract testing, development, and manufacturing organization business unit. WuXi ATU's integrated platforms transform the development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell and gene therapy products and accelerate their time to market. OXGENE, which will retain its name, will be WuXi ATU's first facility in Europe and will further enhance these industry-leading capabilities.
The Wilson Sonsini team that represented WuXi AppTec in the transaction included the following:
Corporate
Barry Taylor
Kathy H. Ku
Nikkisha Smith
Rui Ke
London Corporate
Stacy Kim
Amanda Pollard
Jose Campos
OXGENE will become a fully owned subsidiary of WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), WuXi AppTec’s cell and gene therapy contract testing, development, and manufacturing organization business unit. WuXi ATU's integrated platforms transform the development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell and gene therapy products and accelerate their time to market. OXGENE, which will retain its name, will be WuXi ATU's first facility in Europe and will further enhance these industry-leading capabilities.
The Wilson Sonsini team that represented WuXi AppTec in the transaction included the following:
Corporate
Barry Taylor
Kathy H. Ku
Nikkisha Smith
Rui Ke
London Corporate
Stacy Kim
Amanda Pollard
Jose Campos
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Advises Spire in Merger with NavSight Holdings, Inc.
On March 1, 2021, Spire Global, Inc., a global provider of space-based data and analytics, and NavSight Holdings Inc., a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement for a business combination that would result in Spire becoming a publicly listed company. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is advising Spire in the transaction.
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Advises Cullgen on Patent Matters Related to $50 Million Series B Financing
On February 25, 2021, Cullgen Inc., a leading biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics based on its proprietary uSMITE™ platform of targeted protein degradation technology, announced that it has closed a $50 million Series B financing (assuming exercise of warrant). In addition to receiving funding from existing Cullgen investors, five new prominent international venture capital firms also participated in the financing, including the lead investor, 3E Bioventures Capital, as well as Heights Capital Management (an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group), Octagon Capital, MSA Capital, and South China Venture Capital. The financing will support the development of Cullgen’s technology platform and internal pipeline of targeted protein degraders in oncology and other diseases.
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Advises Plume on $270 Million Series E Financing
On February 23, 2021, Plume, a software-as-a-service platform for communications service providers, announced the close of a $270 million minority investment from global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Plume on the financing.
2020 Technology and Life Sciences IPO Report
Wilson Sonsini’s 2020 Technology and Life Sciences IPO Report presents analysis and data related to the pricing of 123 initial public offerings completed by U.S.-based technology and life sciences companies between January 1 and December 31, 2020. The report includes IPO filing, pricing, and value statistics for both sectors; governance and board of director details; ownership and structure factors; and defensive measure data points. It also considers concurrent private placements, indications of interest, direct listings, and special purpose acquisition companies.