Sidley Austin LLP has a growing presence in emerging companies and venture capital, with several notable lateral hires in 2025. The group is geared to support clients on early- and late-stage financings, secondary transactions, venture and public market offerings, and M&A deals. Palo Alto-based pair Martin Wellington and Idan Netser co-lead the team. Wellington concentrates on counselling technology companies, while Netser is regularly engaged with Israeli emerging companies. Baltimore-based Asher Rubin and Frank Rahmani in Palo Alto add further depth to the team.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Sidley’s venture and emerging companies team combines deep technical expertise with a strong understanding of how founders and VCs actually operate. They are highly responsive, pragmatic, and focused on getting deals done efficiently while keeping long-term outcomes in mind. What stands out is how seamlessly the venture team works across tax, employment, regulatory, and M&A, which becomes increasingly important as companies scale. Compared to other firms, Sidley brings strong judgment, market awareness, and a genuinely partner-like approach rather than feeling like traditional outside counsel.'
- 'The individuals we work with at Sidley stand out for their judgment, responsiveness, and ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance. The team is consistently hands-on, commercially minded, and deeply attuned to venture market norms. They move quickly, flag issues early, and focus on what actually matters for founders and investors rather than over-lawyering. Compared to peers at other firms, they feel more like true partners than outside counsel.'
- 'Highly responsive, able to handle any complication we encountered (cross border tax, complex founder equity scenarios, employee lay off), great events and community building.'
- 'Idan Netser is extremely responsive and accessible, will jump on any ask for help during crisis time and will prioritize value to founders and companies over all else.'
Key clients
- Performance Investment Partners LLC
- Canva
- Wellington Management Company LLP
- General Catalyst
- nCino
- Arcade Inc.
- Armis Security Ltd.
- Supira Medical
- Nourish, Inc
- Radiant Biotherapeutics
Work highlights
Represented Canva, the global leader in cloud-based graphic design software, in an investor-led secondary transaction valuing the company at approximately US$42 billion.
Represented Astria Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies for allergic and immunologic diseases, in its US$920 million acquisition by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Practice head
Martin Wellington; Idan Netser
Other key lawyers
Asher Rubin; Frank Rahmani