Carmelo Gordian is a partner in the Emerging Growth practice.

He focuses on life science, software, telecommunications, semiconductor and energy sector companies. He is known as a leader in the Texas venture capital and private equity community and was formerly the chairman of the San Francisco based Brobeck Business & Technology Group. He was named a Senior Statesperson by Chambers and Partners in 2021.

Carmelo has represented emerging growth companies in transactions in North America (United States and Canada), Europe and Asia. He has acted as counsel in 57 public offering transactions with 29 transactions representing the company, 25 transactions representing underwriters and three transactions advising significant shareholders. He has also acted as company and investment counsel on several hundred private offerings principally venture financings over the past 30 years.

Carmelo advises companies and boards of directors on corporate governance issues as well as serving as counsel to special committees formed by boards of directors and has an active practice representing GPs and LPs of hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital and real estate funds. These funds range from several tens of millions of dollars to multibillion-dollar funds.

He is often quoted in the press, and is a frequent speaker and author, on emerging growth, venture capital and IPOs among other topics.

M&A and Special Committee Engagements

• Represented Passage Identity, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in Series Seed financing and acquisition by 1Password
• Represented Welltok, a healthcare technology services company based in Denver, in its acquisition by Virgin Pulse
• Represented a New York-based global asset management firm in its acquisitions of healthcare technology companies, Cantata Health, a division of NTT Data, Inc., and Health Prime International, Kareo, Inc., Advantage Health, and MDS Services
• Represented LDR Holding Corporation, a medical device company based in Austin, in its $1.14 billion acquisition by Zimmer Biomet Holdings
• Represented UnboundID, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in its acquisition by Ping Identity®, a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners
• Advised a Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Group 42, an international oilfield services company

Securities/Capital Markets Transactions

• Represented Ibere Pharmaceuticals, a blank check company based in Pennsylvania, in its $138 million initial public offering
• Represented LDR Holding Corporation, a medical device company based in Austin, in its:
  • $86.25 million initial public offering
  • $111.9 million follow-on/secondary offering
  • $92 million follow-on offering

Private Offerings and Other Financing Matters

• Acted as counsel and represented numerous U.S., Latin American and European companies and investors in venture capital financings in, various verticals, including FinTech, software, cybersecurity technology, social media technology, AI, digital entrepreneurship, electrical vehicles, and logistics optimization
• Represented Datamart, a data management company based in Chile, in its $6.3 million Series A financing 
• Represented Opscura, a cybersecurity company based in Spain, in its $9.4 million Series A financing 
• Represented Evo Security Technologies, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in its $3.9 million Series Seed financing
• Represented Volta Trucks, an electric truck company based in Sweden, in its €37 million Series B preferred shares financing, €230 million Series C preferred shares financing, and €60 million Series C-2 financing
• Represented HiddenLayer, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in its $6 million Series Seed financing 
• Represented Globus AI, an AI based software company based in Norway, in its $4.8 million Series Seed financing
• Represented SimpliRoute, a logistics company based in Chile, in its $3.2 million Series A financing, and convertible note financings
• Represented Verosint (fka443ID), a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in its $8 million Series Seed financings 
• Represented NetRise, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, in its $6.8 million Series Seed financing 
• Represented Semtive, an alternative energy company originally based in Argentina, in its $5.64 million Series A financing
• Represented TalentGuard Holdings, a software company based in Austin, in its $4 million Series B financing, and convertible note financing
• Represented Restream, an entertainment software company originally based in Ukraine, in its $50 million Series A financing

Corporate Venture Capital

• Represented various insurance, banking, technology, consumer product, and other corporate investors in numerous venture capital investments and secondary stock acquisitions

Professional Affiliations

• International Accelerator, Board Member
• State Bar of New York
• State Bar of Texas
• American Bar Association, Corporate Law Section

Awards & Accolades

• Profiled as one of the leading Technology lawyers in Texas, Chambers & Partners USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, (2007-2023)
• Profiled as one of the leading Technology (2010-2017) and Capital Markets Equity Offerings (2016) lawyers in the United States, The US Legal 500 

Speaking Engagements

• “Latin America: FinTech’s Hottest Market,” moderator at the inaugural Shearman & Sterling Digital Finance Summit (November 16, 2022)
• “Challenges on Current Venture Capital Market and Best Practices in Response” (October 28, 2022)
• “How Corporates Should be Thinking about Cyber and Data Security and the Current Threats?,” moderator at the 2^nd Annual Shearman & Sterling Corporate Venture Investor Summit (May 19, 2022)
• “Private equity and venture capital investments in Latin America,” panelist at the IBA Mergers and acquisitions in Latin America in a challenging world conference, São Paulo, Brazil (May 3, 2022)
• “Diversity & Inclusion as good business,” breakout session facilitator at the1st Annual Shearman & Sterling Corporate Venture Investor Summit (November 19, 2020)
• “Venture Capital Investing in Healthcare in LatAm,” presented to the ECHAlliance Argentina and Chile chapters (September 2, 2020, August 25, 2020)
• “Global Venture Investing for Family Offices,” presented in partnership with Sean O’Sullivan of SOSV (August 6, 2020)
• “Latin American Unicorns: Startups and Scaleups in Tech Companies,” panelist at the IBA Latin American Entrepreneurship Conference, São Paulo, Brazil (November 7, 2019)
• “Lessons in Access to Global Venture Capital,” presented to Eretz.bio, São Paulo, Brazil (August 29, 2019)
• “Lessons in Access to Global Venture Capital,” presented to Startup Chile (July 18, 2019)
• “Venture Capital Roundtable,” co-presented with Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez S.C. and Angel Ventures, Mexico City, Mexico (June 13. 2019)
• “Lessons in Access to Global Venture Capital,” presented to ACE (Aceleratech), São Paulo, Brazil (August 29, 2018 and March 26, 2019)
• “Lessons in Access to Global Venture Capital,” presented at the Legal Venture Capital Tech Camp co-hosted by Marval O’Farrel Mairal and Shearman & Sterling, Buenos Aires, Argentina (October 23, 2018)
• “Maximizing Venture Capital Returns in a Competitive Market for Latin American Investors,” presented at Market Group 6th Annual Private Wealth Latin America & The Caribbean Forum, Miami, Florida (October 16, 2018)
• Hispanic National Bar Association - Corporate Counsel Conference (March 30, 2017)
• “Organizing an Emerging Growth Company in the U.S.,” presented at Casa Mexico during SXSW Interactive, co-hosted by International Accelerator (March 9, 2017)
• Quoted in “What Not To Do When Raising Capital,” The Ambulatory M&A Advisor (January 11, 2016)
• BDO Year End Accounting and Tax Update - M&A Transactions and Trends (December 10, 2015)