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European VC Landscape

Shawn Atkinson Partner

Londres

In addition to sheer volume of deals, Shawn's incomparable market insight stems from his leadership roles at Orrick, the only global firm focused on technology, and his experience working throughout the UK & Europe, North America and Asia. Shawn serves as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and leads Orrick's London Corporate practice. These leadership roles complement his practice serving public and private companies in UK multi-jurisdictional and complex corporate transactions, including countless acquisitions and disposals, cross-border mergers, bankruptcy infused asset sales, recapitalisations and reorganisations.

He is also a recognised leader in late stage venture transactions and in early stage private equity transactions in Europe and the emerging markets. Shawn has been recognised as a leading individual in several legal directories, including Chambers and Legal 500, for his expertise and excellence in venture capital, M&A, emerging markets, and fintech. In addition, he has been ranked as a top 5 (by volume) UK M&A lawyer in each of 2017, 2020-2024 by Mergermarket, including a #1 ranking in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

Shawn also advises early stage businesses across a number of sectors – including insurtech, Fintech, Crypto, SaaS, EdTech, HRTech, Marketplace and EnergyTech. He assists them from incorporation through to M&A exit, initial public offerings and other growth opportunities. His participation in the private equity and venture capital sector spans his entire career - with time spent in private practice, in-house and advising investors as well as investor-backed businesses-and affords him a deep knowledge and understanding of the industry and client needs and expectations.

Among the leading investment funds he has represented are ABN Amro Ventures, Acton Capital Partners, ABRY Partners, Accel Partners, Apax Partners, Bain Capital, Balderton Capital, Battery Ventures, Beringea, Bessemer Venture Partners, Black Pearls VC, Black Sheep Ventures, BMWi Ventures, Coatue Management, Columbia Capital, CommerzVentures, Evolvence, FTV Capital, Golden Gate Capital, Stepstone Group, Headway Capital Partners, Innova Capital, Kinnevik, KPS Capital Partners, Marlin Equity Partners, Mangrove Capital Partners, M/C Partners, One Peak, Oxx, Pearson Ventures, Piper Private Equity, Piton Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Sprints Capital, Summit Partners, Updata Partners, VNV Global and VEF.

Benjamin Cichostepski-Lesage Partner

Paris

Ben est associé fondateur de la pratique Tech Companies Group d'Orrick en France. Depuis près de 15 ans, il conseille les entreprises innovantes à fort potentiel ainsi que les investisseurs en Venture et Tech Growth sur toutes leurs opérations corporate de capital-investissement et de fusions-acquisitions en France et à l’international.

A ce titre, il intervient à tous les stades de leur développement, de l’incubation et des levées de fonds aux opérations de croissance externe et de sorties, industrielles ou en bourse.

Ben dispose en particulier d’une expérience reconnue dans l’accompagnement de sociétés françaises désireuses de s’implanter aux Etat-Unis. Il assiste des start-ups françaises tout au long de leur croissance outre-Atlantique ainsi qu’une clientèle d’investisseurs ou acquéreurs américains.

Depuis son premier deal Venture en 2006, où il représentait Lightspeed Venture Partners dans le cadre de la Series A de Wikio, devenue Teads, société qu’il a par la suite accompagnée pendant 11 ans jusqu’à sa cession à Altice, Ben a mené plus de 330 opérations Corporate Tech et est intervenu sur les principales opérations de sorties de ces dernières années, notamment franco-américaines (Neolane/Adobe, La Fourchette/TripAdvisor, Stupeflix/GoPro, eNovance/Red Hat, Regaind, Zenly/Snap, Teads/Altice, Getaround/Drivy, Glose/Medium, Sqreen/Datadog, Lalilo/Renaissance Learning, Tempow/Google, Context/Integral Ad Science, Monk/ACV Auctions, Cajoo/Flink, Shipfix/Veson Nautical, BeReal/Voodoo).

Sous le leadership de Ben, la pratique Tech d’Orrick est devenue et se classe N°1 en Venture Capital et Tech Growth en France (classée N°1 par Pitchbook - 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 - et CF News - 2024, 2023, 2022).

Distingué chaque année parmi les meilleurs avocats du marché en Venture Capital et Tech Growth, Ben figure à la première place du "Top 10 Influential French Venture Capital Lawyers in Private Equity 2023" de Business Today. Il a été élu "Lawyer of the Year" dans l'édition 2023 de Best Lawyers France pour la catégorie Venture Capital. Il est également classé Leading Individual par Legal 500 EMEA dans la catégorie Private Equity - Venture Capital/Growth Capital et était en tête du « Top 10 des avocats les plus actifs dans la Tech en 2019 » de CFNews (février 2020).

Ben est également à l'origine de la création de Orrick Paris Tech Studio, un espace de travail unique en son genre lancé en juin 2022 et situé au coeur du Silicon Sentier et qui abrite le siège de la pratique Tech d'Orrick en France.

Dr. Sven Greulich, LL.M. (Cantuar), EMBA Partner

Dusseldorf

Sven advises technology companies on complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital as well as growth investments, and provides general corporate counseling.

His clients include technology companies of all stages and their investors. Supported by a global and cross-practice team, he also counsels major corporations and scale-ups on international expansion and growth projects and has a special focus on in- and outbound German/US investments and joint ventures.

Sven is passionate about building a bridge for his clients from Germany to the US and other international technology hubs and to help them succeed in the international market. With a dual background in business and law, an entrepreneurial spirit, and experience in over 300 M&A transactions and financing rounds across many industries, Sven has a unique perspective, which inspires him to find the best strategic and commercially viable solution for his clients.

Sven volunteers with entrepreneur groups at the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management and the RWTH Aachen and regularly lectures at the WHU and the RWTH incubation and innovation centers on venture capital financings, start-up growth and corporate venture capital.

Sven's work has been repeatedly awarded, inter alia

• Chambers ranks him as one of the top 3 venture capital lawyers in Germany (2025);
• the leading German market publication JUVE lists him as "frequently recommended" for M&A, private equity, as well as corporate advice and - since 2019 - ranks Sven as one of Germany's top 15 attorneys for venture capital, the highest recognition for this category awarded by JUVE (2024/2025);
• Legal500 Deutschland includes Sven as "frequently recommended" for M&A (mid-sized deals) as well as private equity (mid-sized deals) and ranks him as a "leading individual" for venture capital (2025); and
• in the 2017 edition of its Innovative Lawyers Report Europe, the Financial Times named Sven's work to connect start-ups with Germany's Mittelstand (mid-sized companies) a standout “for making bridges between Silicon Valley and Germany”.

Attilio Mazzilli Partner

Milan

Attilio brings to the table a wealth of knowledge and a deep understanding of the technology sector, which is critical in today's rapidly evolving business landscape. His practice is primarily focuses on providing expert legal advice on cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and venture capital transactions. 

Attilio has a rich history of advising both domestic and multinational companies as well as private equity funds through their most critical and complex M&A and investments transactions. His focus within the dynamic realms of technology industry has positioned him as a go-to legal strategist for companies seeking to navigate the intricate and often disruptive characteristic market shifts of these sectors. His tailored approach ensures that the companies he advises are well-positioned to capitalize on the opportunities presented by their investments and M&A activities, fostering growth, innovation, and competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

In the context of innovation, Attilio’s role as an advisor to VC firms and high-growth technology companies places him at the forefront of investments in the tech industry.

His experience covers a broad spectrum of legal disciplines and is critical in identifying and evaluating potential investment opportunities within the sector, particularly in areas prone to rapid growth and innovation. With a seasoned understanding of market trends and the intricacies of startup development, Attilio advises investors on how to allocate their capital effectively, maximizing potential returns.

He is also extensively experienced at guiding technology companies at all stages of their life cycle and his contributions is invaluable for companies transitioning from seed stage through Series A and B funding rounds and eventually to exit strategies. His guidance encompasses strategic planning, corporate governance, and the navigation of regulatory environments. Startups, with their inherent risks and potential for exponential growth, require nuanced advice to thrive, and Attilio offers tailored counsel to help these companies scale their operations, refine their business models, and attract further investment. His experience is also instrumental in preparing these companies for various exit scenarios, whether through acquisitions, mergers, or initial public offerings (IPOs), ensuring that founders and investors alike realize their ventures' full value.