Gary J Kocher

Practice Areas

Gary Kocher has over 30 years of experience working with high growth companies. He counsels founders on business formation issues and works with companies on a wide range of transactions, including financings, strategic partnerships and acquisitions, intellectual property creation and protection, and exit transactions. Gary has served as counsel on a number of significant cross-border transactions and advises Boards of Directors and senior management on governance and other strategic issues.

Over his career, Gary has represented more than 200 start-ups in connection with seed, angel, venture and strategic financings, including Clarisonic, onXmaps, Element Data, Center ID, Misapplied Sciences, Deako, Volt Athletics, SunFly Brands, Magic AI, Record360, rMark Bio, Cancer Targeted Technology, Teadora, Meta Company, ActX, Twango, Ahnu Footwear, FlexCar and Redfin. He has worked on over 20 initial public offerings including for companies such as Western Wireless (T-Mobile parent), Electrical Geodesics, Zumiez, Intrawest (Whistler ski resort), True Blue, Greenfield Online and Truett-Hurst Winery in Sonoma. Clients he has represented from start-to-exit include Clarisonic (sold to L’Oreal), Greenfield Online (sold to Microsoft), Flexcar (acquired by Zip Car), Fridge Door (sold to Amazon), PointMarc (sold to Merkle), and Twango (sold to Nokia). He also regularly represents angel and venture capital investors and serves as outside counsel to the Alliance of Angels and is a member of the Legal Advisory Council and Public Policy Committee to the Angel Capital Association. Gary also recently became a member of the Board of Trustees for the Pacific Northwest Research Institute.

Gary’s blend of private/public company expertise and experience representing companies from start-to-exit provide him with a unique perspective and ability to anticipate issues confronting emerging growth companies. He has been consistently selected as a Washington Super Lawyer, is named as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business by Chambers USA, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America®.

Professional Memberships

Board of Trustees, Pacific Northwest Research Institute

Member of Legal Advisory Council for Alliance of Angels and Angel Capital Association

Member of Steering Committee for Tech Alliance Innovation Showcase

Chairman of Executive Planning Committee for Life Science Innovation Northwest – annual Life Sciences conference 2010 - 2013

Executive Industry Board Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Board member NeuroNeighborhood - non-profit organization to promote neuro resources in the Northwest

Secretary to MS Hub – non-profit organization devoted to Multiple Sclerosis research and treatment

Publications

"Venture Capital Investment in the Internet Economy," Corporate Finance Review, May/June 2000

"Safe Sharing," The Daily Deal, October 1999

Education