Orrick Grows Venture Capital Practice with 13-Strong Team in Los Angeles

• Tech company and venture capital advisors Mike Heath, Cody Peterson, Tim Greene and Nick Feldman join the firm as partners, with a team of nine associates.
• A leading team in the Southern California startup ecosystem, Mike, Cody and Nick guide founders, operators and boards at venture-backed companies, as well as their investors, from formation to exit. Tim is a Chambers-recognized tech transactions advisor focused on high-growth tech companies, and is returning to Orrick, where he was previously a partner.
• The team’s client portfolio includes hundreds of companies in the most dynamic verticals – including AI, fintech, crypto and blockchain, energytech, digital health, space tech and defense tech. The team also represents leading venture capital funds such as BITKRAFT Ventures, Haun Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Learn Capital, Slauson & Co., Susa Ventures and TenOneTen Ventures.
• This addition doubles the size of Orrick’s venture capital platform in Los Angeles.
• The team joins from Gunderson Dettmer, where Mike and Cody co-founded the Los Angeles office.

“This is an incredible opportunity to combine two stellar, entrepreneurial teams and an extraordinary portfolio of venture capital fund and company clients. We’re coming off a remarkable year for our clients and our firm in a dynamic and shifting global market, and we believe it’s a moment to make transformational investments in the tech ecosystem. We have no doubt we will look back at the addition of this top talent as a foundational moment,” said Orrick Chair Mitch Zuklie.

“We have long admired Orrick’s all-in commitment to the tech ecosystem – and the firm’s strategy of assembling top federal and state regulatory, enforcement, litigation and transactional advisors focused on emerging areas like fintech, crypto and blockchain, energytech, space tech and healthtech,” said Mike, speaking on behalf of the team. “This move enables us to offer our clients the kind of holistic, strategic advice that disruptors need in order to thrive in a constantly changing market.”

“We have competed against this top-tier team for a decade and hold them in the highest regard. Now, we are thrilled to combine forces to build a true market leader,” said Josh Pollick, the Santa Monica-based co-leader of Orrick’s global Technology Companies Group.

Orrick was recently named a Law360 Tech Practice Group of the Year for the second year in a row and has ranked top 5 globally for VC deals for seven years (PitchBook). In 2024, the firm advised on 1,000+ venture and growth financings with a total value of $45+ billion and 170+ M&A transactions totaling $29+ billion.

With these additions, the firm has added 29 partners in 15 markets to its tech platform over the past two years, including last month’s hire of Eric Hochstadt as head of the firm’s global Antitrust Litigation practice.

About the Team

Mike Heath

Mike is a strategic partner to high-growth companies and venture capital and growth equity funds. He provides advice on formation, venture financings, IPOs and M&A deals, and regularly serves as clients’ primary outside counsel. He was co-founder and co-leader of Gunderson’s Los Angeles office and is recognized as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500.

Mike’s recent experience includes advising FloQast from accelerator-stage to becoming one of Los Angeles’ unicorn success stories; Wish from formation through its Series H round; Seismic from formation through its Series G investment; and venture capital firms including Susa Ventures, Expa and Kindred Ventures in their investments in market-leading companies.

Cody Peterson

Cody brings the perspective of a former operator at a health and fitness e-commerce startup to help founders navigate novel questions at formation through rounds of financing to an exit. He was a co-founder and hiring partner of Gunderson’s Los Angeles office. Cody is also a known leader in the local startup community. He regularly coaches and mentors entrepreneurs through the Plug In Ventures Accelerator and by partnering with and supporting BLCK VC, PledgeLA and LGBT+ VC, among other organizations.

Cody’s recent experience includes representing ChargerHelp and its founders on its journey to becoming a leader in operations, maintenance and workforce development for the EV industry; Atticus through multiple financing rounds as it built a market-leading platform to help people in crisis get life-changing aid; and Slauson & Co. on their direct investments in innovative founders and in connection with the Friends & Family accelerator.

“As the L.A. startup ecosystem continues to grow, the Orrick platform is uniquely positioned to provide startup companies and their investors with comprehensive strategic advice. We’re especially excited to team up with Orrick’s Laura Lariu, our former colleague and a recognized industry expert from her experience at Virgin Hyperloop and Relativity Space before joining Orrick,” noted Cody.

Tim Greene

Tim, a Chambers-recognized tech transactions advisor, helps companies build and shape their IP protection and commercialization strategies. He has helped his clients draft, negotiate and execute hundreds of strategic transactions and licensing deals each year, as well as assisting on the IP, technology and privacy aspects of hundreds of venture financings and M&A deals. He is returning to Orrick after practicing with the firm for seven years until 2021.

“I’m thrilled to reunite with my Orrick colleagues. The firm is an innovator not only in the advice they deliver but the way they deliver it. I’m greatly looking forward to collaborating with the Orrick team on the continued buildout of its startup service platform, with an eye toward meeting our clients where they are – with the right services at the right time,” noted Tim.

Nick Feldman

Nick is a trusted advisor to founders and high-growth companies from inception to exit, providing advice on formation, financings, M&A deals and IPOs. He leverages a deep understanding of disruptive technologies, including AI, fintech, crypto and blockchain, and healthtech, to provide strategic guidance and help clients seize opportunities. In addition, he represents leading venture capital firms in their equity, debt and token investments.

Nick’s recent experience includes representing leading Web3 and blockchain companies such as Phantom, Lightspark, Conduit and Privy as outside general counsel and as advisor on strategic financing and acquisition transactions. He has also represented other high-growth companies and unicorns in late-stage financings such as Rula, Rec Room and Mashgin. Additionally, he advises venture capital and growth equity funds including Haun Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Placeholder, Patron, Susa Ventures and BITKRAFT.

“Orrick offers a comprehensive suite of solutions for emerging companies and their investors, including support for the blockchain market on everything from bank partnerships to token launches,” said Nick. “This will enable us to be a partner to our clients at a whole new level.”