Ryan Selis is a trusted advisor and legal counsel to emerging technology companies and venture capital investors. As a member of Orrick’s Technology Companies Group, he delivers practical, business-driven solutions tailored to support his clients' growth and long-term success.
An experienced corporate lawyer and strategic advisor, Ryan specializes in guiding high-growth companies and investors through the legal complexities of the startup ecosystem. With deep experience in the technology sector, he provides comprehensive legal counsel to emerging companies throughout their lifecycle, including startup formation and structuring, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate and securities law compliance. Ryan also has significant expertise in representing venture capital and private equity investors in financings, growth equity investments, and buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions. His ability to navigate the fast-paced and evolving technology landscape has made him a trusted partner to clients building transformative businesses.
Ryan's company-side representations include Mercor (AI-powered hiring platform), Magic.dev (automated software engineering), Sapien (autonomous coworkers for financial analysis), Taktile (decision-making models for risk assessment by fintechs), Flower (federated AI framework), Paradigm (AI-powered spreadsheets), 15Five (continuous performance management platform), Certa (third-party vendor compliance and risk management), Uprise (AI-powered financial advisory optimization), Archer Faris (multi-agent security), Better Trucks (last mile carrier), Allium (enterprise blockchain data platform), Coda Project (acquired by Grammarly), Enter Health (AI-first revenue cycle management), and many other exciting startups.
Select Engagements:
- Magic AI - $320 million Series C financing, with contributions from Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, CapitalG, Eric Schmidt, and others
- Mercor.io - $30 million Series A financing, led by Benchmark with participation from General Catalyst, Peter Thiel, Jack Dorsey, Adam D'Angelo, and others
- Sapien - $8.7 million Series Seed financing, led by General Catalyst with participation from Neo
- Coda - sale to Grammarly
- Taktile - $20 million Series A financing, co-led by Index Ventures and Tiger Global
- Flower Labs - $20 million Series A financing, led by Felicis Ventures and First Spark
- 15Five - $52 million Series C financing, led by Quad Partners with participation by Next47, Origin Ventures, Edison Partners and others
- Certa - $35 million Series B financing, co-led by Fin VC and Vertex Ventures
- Allium - $16.5 million Series A financing, led by Theory Ventures, and $4.25 million Series Seed financing co-led by Kleiner Perkins and Amplify Partners
- Better Trucks - $15 million Series A financing led by Lobby Capital, Corazon Capital, Venture 53 and others
- Uprise - $3.3 million Seed financing, led by Blank Ventures
- Medicxi, Aditum Bio, Atlas Venture – $20 million Series B investment in Versanis Bio and acquisition of Versanis Bio by Eli Lilly for $1.925 billion
- Marcy Venture Partners - Investment in The Long Drink Company
- Louis Dreyfus Company CVC - Investment in Natural Fiber Welding
- Humaans - $15 million Series A financing, led by Lachy Groom
- Quell - $10 million Series A financing, led by Tencent, Khosla Ventures, Heartcore Capital and others
- Telmai - $5.5 million Series Seed financing, co-led by Glasswing Ventures and .406 Ventures
- Simpl - $40 million Series B, led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures
- Atalaya Capital Management - Formation of private equity vehicle with Waterfall Asset Management and strategic growth investment into OnPoint Warranty Solutions
- HPS Investment Partners – Formation of private equity vehicle with with Wildcat Capital Management and strategic growth investment into Sculptor Real Estate