Professional Summary:
Vivek has over 15 years of experience as a start-up lawyer, advisor, and mentor to early-stage start-up founders in Silicon Valley, New York, and across the world. Vivek’s mentorship portfolio encompasses esteemed accelerators and incubator initiatives like Techstars, 500 Start-ups, Founders Institute, and Start up Chile, among others. He holds a strong dedication to advising enterprises eyeing global expansion, and his collaborative efforts have reached teams spanning the globe. Vivek started his career in the Silicon Valley headquarters of Wilson Sonsini. Subsequently, he honed his skills at numerous prominent global enterprises prior to inaugurating his personal venture in New York, Silicon Valley and later extended his footprint to India. Notably, he also assumed the role of General Counsel at Locus, a state-of-the-art delivery automation platform.
Practice Focus
Venture Capital & Private Equity
Venture capital financings from seed through late stage, and representation of both founders and investors.
Emerging Companies & Startups
Advising companies across their lifecycle, from formation and early-stage financings through international expansion and exit.
Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions
Mergers, acquisitions and strategic exits, including multi-jurisdictional diligence and transaction support.
Corporate & Commercial Transactions
Corporate structuring and reorganisations, and international commercial agreements.
U.S.-India Cross-Border Investments
Investments between India and the United States, acting for companies and investors on both sides.
Technology Transactions
Technology and intellectual property commercialisation transactions.
International Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
Joint ventures and strategic collaborations, coordinating legal teams across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Corporate Governance
Governance and board matters for high-growth and multinational companies.
International Expansion & Market Entry
Market entry for multinationals coming into India, and for Indian companies expanding abroad.
Forums & Jurisdictions
Representative Matters & Reported Cases
Transactions
Key Work Highlights
Venture Capital & Financing
- Represented an Indian semiconductor manufacturer in its offshore corporate structuring and Series A preferred stock financing by a major international electronics company.
- Represented a Silicon Valley semiconductor company in its Series C preferred stock financing.
- Advised a global logistics technology company on its Series B preferred stock financing.
- Represented investors in Series A financings of technology companies in Silicon Valley and India.
- Advised investors in financings involving Indian fintech, electric vehicle, internet and travel technology companies.
- Represented African and Latin American technology companies in venture financings led by international venture capital investors.
- Advised robotics and AI-related technology companies on seed and early-stage financings.
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Sole lead attorney representing an international enterprise software company in the acquisition of an Indian business and the expansion of its Indian operations.
- Coordinated Indian legal diligence and transaction support for a global software company’s acquisition and establishment of operations in India.
- Represented shareholders in the sale of a software technology company to a publicly listed international technology company.
- Advised a European technology company on its acquisition by a leading Silicon Valley technology company.
- Advised an Indian digital advertising company on acquisitions across the United Kingdom, Australia, India and the United States.
- Led the representation of the founders of an Indian advertising technology company on the sale of its Southeast Asian and South Asian businesses.
- Represented a medical device company in its acquisition by a major global medical instruments manufacturer.
International & Strategic Transactions
- Advised a U.S. clean technology company on a joint development arrangement with a leading Indian automotive manufacturer.
- Advised a multinational pharmaceutical company on manufacturing and licensing matters in the Middle East.
- Served as local counsel in Saudi Arabia on the establishment of an industrial manufacturing joint venture for a U.S. multinational.
- Represented numerous U.S., UK and European companies on distribution, commercial and strategic arrangements throughout the Middle East.
Before King Stubb & Kasiva
Vivek practised with leading international law firms in Silicon Valley, New York and the Middle East, advising emerging growth companies and multinational businesses on corporate and transactional matters. He then served as General Counsel of Locus, a global enterprise AI and logistics technology company, where he led the global legal function and advised executive management on strategic commercial transactions, corporate governance, international expansion, technology and product matters, intellectual property and regulatory compliance.
Additional Professional Highlights
- Extensive experience advising founders, investors and multinational companies on complex cross-border transactions.
- Significant experience coordinating multi-jurisdictional legal teams across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
- Trusted advisor to high-growth technology companies throughout their lifecycle, from formation and financing through strategic acquisitions and exits.
- Combines the perspective of outside counsel at leading international law firms with that of a former General Counsel of a global enterprise AI company.
Speaking & Writing
Vivek regularly speaks and writes on venture capital and startup law, cross-border M&A, U.S.-India investments, corporate governance, emerging company legal issues, and artificial intelligence and technology transactions.
Indicative Experience
- Counsel to a lender in a financing of a dual-use gambling and horse track racing facility.
- Counsel to agent and lender in a debt financing of a leading supplier of beverage and dispensing equipment.
- Advised lender regarding a credit facility for an advertising sales management systems company.
- Represented an Indian semiconductor manufacturer in their initial offshore formation and Series A Preferred Stock investment by a major international electronics company.
- Represented a Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturer in a Series C Preferred Stock financing.
- Investor counsel in a Series A Preferred Stock financing of a Silicon Valley internet technology company.
- Counsel to the investor in its early stage financing of an Indian internet technology company.
- Advised investor in a financing of an Indian electric car manufacturer.
- Investor counsel in a venture financing for an Indian travel website.
- Represented a global logistics technology company in a Series B Preferred Stock financing.
- Counsel to an African start-up in a Series A Preferred Stock financing by a French venture capital fund.
- Advised an Indian fintech start-up in a Series B Preferred Stock financing by a Hong Kong-based investor.
- Counsel to a Mexican events technology company in its Series A Preferred Stock financing.
- Advised a robotics start-up in its Series Seed Preferred Stock financings from leading Silicon Valley investors.
- Counsel to an African media technology company in its Seed financing led by California-based investors.
- Underwriters’ counsel in the Initial Public Offering of a medical device manufacturer.
- Sole attorney in the representation of a major international supplier of enterprise business solutions in an asset purchase and expansion of their Indian operations; duties included directing foreign local counsel’s diligence on client’s Indian matters and advising on employment and property matters.
- Coordinated local diligence and advised on deal terms for a global software company’s Indian asset purchase and establishment of operations in India.
- Counsel to a medical device company in their acquisition by a major medical instruments manufacturer.
- Assisted a leading Indian advertisement network company in acquisitions in the United Kingdom, Australia, India and the United States.
- Lead attorney advising an Indian advertisement network company and its founding team in their exits from their Southeast Asian and South Asian businesses.
- Represented the shareholders of a software technology company in an acquisition by a large, public international technology company.
- Advised a European technology company in its acquisition by a leading Silicon Valley technology company.
- Advised a U.S. cleantech company in a joint development project with a leading Indian vehicle manufacturer.
- Counsel to a leading multinational pharmaceutical company with regard to manufacturing and licensing matters in the Middle East.
- Local counsel in Saudi Arabia for a US conglomerate on the establishment of an industrial joint venture in Saudi Arabia to manufacture the company’s products, including preparation of the joint venture agreement, articles of association and related agreements.
- Counsel to numerous US, UK and European companies regarding entering into distribution agreements with Saudi distributors, including termination of distributors and assisting in litigation regarding such terminations.
Expertise
Key Facts
20+
Years Experience
10+
Countries Advised Across
9
Practice Focus Areas
3
Bar Admissions & Degrees
Education
LL.M., Commercial & Corporate Law
SOAS, University of London
J.D. (cum laude)
Indiana University, Bloomington School of Law
B.A. (Honors), History
University of Texas at Austin
Certifications & Memberships
International Partner, King Stubb & Kasiva
Member, State Bar of California
Member, New York State Bar
Awards & Recognition
Panel Appointments
Representative Clients
Client Types
Venture capital funds
Emerging technology companies
Semiconductor companies
Artificial intelligence and software companies
Fintech companies
Medical device companies
Logistics technology businesses
Pharmaceutical companies
Manufacturing companies
Multinationals expanding into India and other international markets