Praised for its ‘excellent knowledge, responsiveness, and practical support’, Cooley (UK) LLP has extensive experience in complex, cross-border transactions involving a global roster investors, chiefly in the tech and life science sectors. The team regularly advises clients on both financing and funding rounds, while offering a tailored service on all elements of IP, tax, and litigation. The group is co-chaired by Ryan Naftulin and Aaron Archer, the pair are hailed for their expertise in the disruptive tech arena, frequently supporting investors with equity financings and corporate advisory work. Tom Goodman is knowledgeable in Series A financing rounds. Eric Davison, Kerry Corrigan, and Ellen Dewhurst are all further core members of the venture capital practice. The group was recently bolstered by the arrival of Angus Miln, Ali Ramadan, and Helen Pantelides, who arrived from Taylor Wessing, Goodwin, and White & Case, respectively.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Cooley have advised us for all corporate matters for the last 3 years - funding rounds, strategic investments, secondary transactions and the recent departures of two of our founders. Their advice is timely, commercial and technically excellent. I love having Cooley on my side and they are a great support to me as a GC with an incredibly lean team.’
‘Eric Davison and Aaron Archer are the team that support us. Aaron is great and very present, but Eric is truly excellent. I am not looking forward to the day he is promoted to partner as our fees will increase and he'll do less of the work!’
‘Excellent knowledge, responsiveness and practical support with respect to financing, corporate and benefits matters, specifically in the private biotechnology sector.’
'Provide excellent legal support under demanding and rapidly changing circumstances.’
‘The entire Cooley team has exceptional knowledge on the industry, sector and general areas related to venture capital. The great thing about Cooley is that all members of the team are all highly trained, highly knowledgeable and work exceptionally well together.'
‘Aaron Archer gets it. Knows how to deal with challenging counter parts and goes above and beyond. Key for Aaron is he knows there the line is and what is and isn't relevant to us as a client and across the sector.'
‘The team are exceptionally well motivated, aligned with client interests, and available. Most importantly, they are top tier at connecting with the company and its people on a deep level to be truly sensational partners to us.’
‘Commerciality and personal rapport are key! Eric Davison is our go-to contact at Cooley, and he has been a breath of fresh air. Alwys goes above and beyond to make us feel supported, no matter the topic.’
Key clients
- Synthesia
- Raft
- EQT Ventures
- Accel
- General Catalyst
- Mindgard
- Lapse
- IVP
- Carmoola
- Lightspeed Venture Partners
- Faction Ventures
- EyeBiotech
- Northzone
- Felix Capital
- Codat
- Local Globe
- Atomico
- Veed
- AstronauTx
- Theolytics
Work highlights
- Advised Synthesia, the world’s leading generative AI video creation platform for enterprises, on its $90m Series C funding, valuing the company at $1bn (the latest UK based Unicorn).
- Advised EyeBiotech on a $130m Series A financing round.
- Advised Raft on its $30m Series B financing round led by the Eight Roads VC with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Episode 1 and Dynamo Ventures, as well as Moguntia Capital.
Lawyers
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Practice head
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Ryan Naftulin, Aaron Archer