Ryan Roberts is a partner who works with high‑growth companies and venture capital investors across a range of technology sectors. His practice spans the lifecycle of growth companies, from formation through venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic transactions. He also represents venture capital funds in connection with investment activities.
Ryan regularly advises founders, management teams, and investors as businesses scale, engage with institutional capital, and pursue strategic combinations or exits. His approach is informed by a practical understanding of the legal, governance, and structural considerations that tend to matter most at key stages of growth.
In addition to his transactional practice, Ryan is the author of Acceleration: What All Entrepreneurs Must Know About Startup Law and writes the startup law blog Startup Lawyer, reflecting his long‑standing engagement with emerging companies and the venture ecosystem.
Education
- University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, J.D., 2003
- University of Southern California, M.A., Economics, 2000
- University of Southern California, B.A., Economics and Political Science, 2000
Distinctions & Honors
- Law Review, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, Staff Member 2001-2002, Articles Editor 2002-2003
- Rising Star 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Texas Super Lawyers (a publication of Thomson Reuters)
Clerkships
- United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, Fort Worth, Texas, Summer 2002
Affiliations
- Member, State Bar of Texas
Select Transactions
Venture Capital Transactions
- WizRocket Inc. (CleverTap) in its $105,000,000 Series D Financing with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, IIFL AMC’s Tech Fund, Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital
- FreshDesk Inc. (now Freshworks) in its $31,000,000 Series D Financing with Google Capital, Tiger Global and Accel Partners
- Alto Experience Inc. in its $45,000,000 Series B Financing with Road Ventures, Tuesday Capital, Goff Capital, Franklin Templeton, and Alumni Ventures Group
- Facilio Inc. in its $35,000,000 Series B Financing with Dragoneer Investment Group, Tiger Global, Brookfield Growth, and Accel Partners
- Airmeet Inc. in its $35,000,000 Series B Financing with Prosus Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, RingCentral Ventures, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, DG Daiwa Ventures, and Ronin Projects Limited
- Visage Enterprise Inc. (Gig Wage) in its $9,500,000 Series A Financing with Green Dot Corporation and Foundry Group
- Luna Grill Restaurants LLC in its $30,000,000 financing with CapitalSpring
- Appsmith Inc. in its $8,000,000 Series A Financing with Canaan Partners and Accel Partners
- Osmnez Technologies Inc. in its $6,000,000 Series A Financing with Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Matrix Partners
- Lyceum Technologies Inc. (Hippo Video) in its $4,500,000 Series A Financing with Alpha Wave Incubation (managed by Falcon Edge Capital), Sequoia Capital, and KAE Capital
Exit Transactions
- rVetLink in its acquisition by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX:NASDAQ)
- Mobestream Media (Key Ring) in its acquisition by Gannett (GCI:NYSE)
- Revvsales in its acquisition by LegalZoom.com, Inc. (LZ: NASDAQ)
- Zarget in its acquisition by Freshworks (FRSH:NASDAQ)
- Promoter.io in its acquisition by Medallia, Inc. (MDLA:NYSE)
- Cucumbertown in its acquisition by Cookpad (2193:TSE)
- Superpowered in its acquisition by Splice
- Contextual Software AI in its acquisition by Southfield Capital