Anil Advani, Esq.

(Of Counsel)

Mr. Advani's practice focuses on the formation, financing and general corporate counselling of emerging companies and technology businesses. He also has an active practice representing India-focused emerging companies, investment banks, financial institutions and venture funds, both in the United States and in India.

He was most recently of counsel and Head of the India practice at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Before joining Orrick, Mr. Advani was General Counsel and Vice President of SemIndia, a pioneering effort to establish semiconductor manufacturing in India. As General Counsel for SemIndia, Mr. Advani was responsible for coordinating with the Government of India in formulating a comprehensive semiconductor policy for India as well as with the State of Andhra Pradesh in structuring Fab City on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad.

Prior to joining SemIndia, Mr. Advani was a Senior Associate in the Silicon Valley offices of Cooley Godward LLP where his practice focused on representation of emerging companies and the venture funds and banks that finance those companies. Mr. Advani began his legal career as an attorney in India where he practiced for a number of years at the High Court of Delhi.

In the last ten years practicing law in Silicon Valley, Mr. Advani has represented more than 230 start-up companies, and numerous founders, venture capital investors, angel investors, and venture lending and leasing sources on legal issues relating to formation, founder issues, consulting and advisory arrangements, capital structuring, angel financings, venture financings, debt financings, leasing, mergers and acquisitions, and India-related issues.

Bar Admissions

• California
• New York
• India (Delhi Bar Council)

Practice Areas

• Business & Corporate Law

Education

• Bachelor of Laws, Delhi University, Delhi, India
• Masters of Laws, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C
• Bachelor of Commerce, Delhi University, Delhi, India
  • with Honors

Experience

• Inventus Law, Inc.
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (Of Counsel and Head of the India Practice)
• SemIndia (Vice President & General Counsel)
• Cooley Godward LLP (Senior Associate)

Representative Transactions:

• Currently representing four silicon-valley based companies on their venture financing transactions.
• Representing lead investor in connection with venture financing of a leading technology company in Palo Alto.
• Currently representing a Hong Kong based company in its acquisition of a San Francisco based business.
• Representing India based company in connection with debt financing with IFC and U.S. ExIm Bank.
• Counsel founding teams of technology companies in the Bay Area on issues ranging from initial capital structuring, founder stock issuances, option plans,
  employment matters, angel financings and venture financings.
• Represented Lightspeed Venture Partners, Gabriel Venture Partners, Venrock, Charles River Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundation Capital,
  Norwest Venture Partners, and other prominent venture firms on their investments.
• Represented Silicon Valley Bank and Comerica Bank on various debt financing transactions.
• Represent NOVA Chemicals on its joint venture with Reliance Industries Limited in India.
• Represent Texas-based NCI Group on its various joint venture transactions with large business houses in India.
• Representing a large Indian business house on its acquisition transactions in the U.S.
• Represent SemIndia on various matters, including strategic partnerships, acquisitions and financing arrangements.
• Counsel Inca Informatics, Komli, NDTV Imagine and other Indian companies on structuring U.S. operations.
• Representing an India based telecom company in connection with a reverse merger with a U.S. public company.

Recent Speaking Engagements:

• Moderator, NASABA panel on M&A in India, 2007.
• Moderator, India – Environment for Mergers and Acquisitions, 2007.
• Speaker, IIT's Annual Conference, 2007-2008.
• Speaker and Panellist, TiE SIG on Legal Issues for StartUp Companies, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
• Speaker, TIE-SoCal Panel on Media and Entertainment, 2008.
• Moderator, TiECon Panel on Funding a Company, 2008.
• Presenter on Doing Business in the U.S. to the visiting NASSCOM Delegation at SDForum, 2008.
• Moderator, Discussion on Angel Investments with Sandhill Angels, Band of Angels and SAP Ventures, 2009.
• Moderator, Entrepreneurship in India, Stanford GSB Annual Conference, 2009.
• Presenter, TiE Interconnect, January, 2009 and July, 2009, on "Legal issues for startup ventures"
• Moderator, TiECon Panel on "Lessons from Past Recessions", 2009.
• Lecture to BITS, Pilani on legal issues for startup ventures, September, 2009.
• Presenter, Lean and Mean Startup Meetup session, San Francisco, September, 2009

Languages:

• English
• Hindi
• Sindhi
• Punjabi