Robert M. Dang

Rob is a veteran of the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem, and has worked closely with and provided legal advice to some of the world’s top technology startups at crucial points in their early development, including WhatsApp, Uber, Tesla and Zynga. Rob’s practice focuses on acting as the outsourced general counsel and advisor to growth stage technology startups, with an emphasis on corporate finance, technology licensing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general business counseling. While Rob also works with more mature technology companies, he particularly enjoys the challenge of guiding early stage startups, where providing the right legal and business advice is crucial. The estimated aggregate market value (including exits) of the companies Rob has represented throughout his legal career now easily exceeds two hundred billion dollars ($200,000,000,000). Rob has represented three decacorns (Uber, Tesla, WhatsApp) and two unicorns (Zynga and SignalFx) during his career. Rob currently represents the Signal Technology Foundation, its subsidiary Signal Messenger, LLC, the Stellar Development Foundation, and Ikigai Labs, among many other startups.

Rob served as WhatsApp’s outsourced general counsel during the initial four years of their amazing growth, directly advising the founding executive team and board, handling their preferred stock financings, commercial transactions, stock options, corporate governance, data privacy policies and law enforcement requests. As Tesla’s lead outside counsel, Rob advised Tesla’s founders and executive team through its formation in 2003, the development of their prototype roadster, and negotiated and closed their Series A and Series B venture capital financings.

Rob has advised hundreds of technology companies in various stages of maturity, in a wide variety of industries within the technology and life sciences sectors, and he draws upon this deep experience to provide practical, business-minded advice to his clients. Rob has extensive experience in advising C-level executives and boards of directors, and negotiating with investors and opposing counsel on behalf of his clients. Rob has handled all aspects of the negotiation and documentation of venture capital financings, debt financings, and mergers and acquisitions transactions involving private and public companies. Over the years, Rob has handled hundreds of inbound and outbound technology licensing transactions, including enterprise licensing, OEM, SAAS, digital content licensing, co-branding, strategic partnership, professional services and reseller agreements. Rob also acts as private counsel to founders and entrepreneurs, as well as representing angels as their investment counsel.

Prior to co-founding Acceleron Law Group in 2015, Rob co-founded Fortis General Counsel, LLP, which was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Tier 1 California corporate law firm, and by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 50 boutique law firms in California, including being the only firm on the list recognized for its licensing practice. Prior to that, Rob practiced at a corporate law firm in Silicon Valley. Prior to his corporate practice in Silicon Valley, Rob was a litigation associate at a San Francisco law firm, where he specialized in complex, high-value cases. Rob was responsible for the briefing and oral argument of law and motion matters, including dispositive motions, the prosecution and defense of lay and expert witness depositions, arbitrations and mediations, and all other phases of litigation, including appellate work. During this time, Rob also handled a successful appeal in the 3rd Appellate District of California, and was selected to grade the California State Bar Examination.

Rob received his law degree in 1996 from the University of Santa Clara, where he participated in the Honors Moot Court program, was an instructor for the Street Law program for disadvantaged youths in East San Jose, and was an Evidence Instructor for the Academic Success Program, teaching other law students. Rob also completed coursework in International Human Rights from Oxford University, Magdalen College in 1994. Rob is a proud graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where received his undergraduate degree in Rhetoric in 1992, and was a member of the Dean’s Honor List. Rob serves as a Mentor for the Alchemist Accelerator. Rob previously served on the Executive Committee of the MIT/Stanford Venture Lab (VLAB), an organization dedicated to promoting the growth and success of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures by connecting ideas, technology and people. Rob also served as counsel to Curriki, a nonprofit organization and an early leader in developing an Open Source Curriculum and platform providing universal access to curricula and instructional materials for grades K-12. As a father to two daughters, Rob strongly supports and encourages the increased representation of women in math, science, engineering and business, and to this end, has underwritten several scholarships to Draper University for female entrepreneurs with a background in STEM. Rob lives with his wife and family in Hillsborough. In his spare time, Rob loves spending time with his family, usually traveling, eating and/or cooking. Occasionally, Rob sneaks away to play golf poorly, but enthusiastically.