2175 North California Boulevard Suite 600, Walnut Creek, CA USA 94596
Two Embarcadero Center Suite 1900, San Francisco, CA USA 94111
Ryu Fukuyama focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, representing both strategic and financial buyers and sellers across a range of industries, with a particular focus on transactions in the technology space, often involving emerging growth companies backed by venture capital investors. He also has significant experience working on cross-border M&A transactions with buyers from Asia or Europe as well as sellers having substantial operations in those regions. In addition to his M&A practice, Ryu represents startups and emerging growth companies throughout their life cycle, from formation and financings through exits. He also works with venture capital funds, growth equity investors, and strategic investors in connection with their equity investments in or joint ventures with such companies. Ryu also advises emerging fund managers on the formation of their funds as well as on their acquisition and investment activities.
Prior to joining the firm, Ryu was an associate in the Chicago, Illinois office of a boutique law firm where he focused his practice on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters. While attending law school, Ryu served as Technical Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review.
Ryu was recognized in 2025 and 2026 as one of the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" for Mergers and Acquisitions Law by The Best Lawyers in America®.
Ryu is fluent in Japanese.
Experience
Mergers and Acquisitions.
- Represented a California-based software company in its $70 million sale to a private equity firm.
- Represented a serial entrepreneur in its acquisition of an Arizona-based software company.
- Represented a food catering and technology company in its sale to an independent sponsor.
- Represented a California-based start-up offering health/well-being programs in its sale to a private equity buyer.
- Represented a life science start-up in its asset acquisition of a seed stage life science company.
- Represented an Austria company in its acquisition of a California software company.
- Represented a company providing data privacy platform in its $200 million acquisition of a California start-up providing platform for security and compliance procedures.
- Represented a provider of information technology, in its tender offer to acquire stock of a California public company (traded in NYSE) providing staffing services.
- Represented a European conglomerate in its $100 million acquisition of logistics company based in New Jersey.
- Represented a Washington-based environmental clean-up company in its sale of the company to a private equity buyer.
- Represented a private equity fund in its add-on acquisitions of storage design companies in the Southeast.
- Represented a private equity fund in its add-on acquisition of a lessor of monitoring equipment.
- *Represented a publicly-traded Japanese aluminum manufacturer in its carve-out acquisition of a U.S. subsidiary of a Japanese aluminum manufacturer publicly traded in Japan.
- *Represented a Japanese manufacturer of water treatment plants and equipment in its acquisition for a U.S. water treatment equipment manufacturer.
- *Represented a Japanese chemical company in its two-phase buyout of a Mexico-based engineering and systems company.
- *Represented the sole shareholder of a North American franchisor of supermarket-based food service counters in the sale of the company to a publicly-traded Japanese food service company for $257 million.
Venture Capital and Start-Up/Emerging Growth Company Matters.
Represented start-ups and emerging growth companies and their investors on numerous financing and secondary transactions, ranging from pre-seed to late/growth stage financings.
- Represented a late-stage aviation company in its recapitalization and offering of convertible debt securities.
- Represented a New York venture capital firm in multiple rounds of late-stage financings for an insurance tech company with pay-to-play and associated recapitalization.
- Represented a growth-stage info security company in its growth financing from a private equity fund and a subsequent tender offer.
- Represented the lead investor in a Series C financing in a leading EdTech company.
- Represented a Colorado proptech company in several rounds of equity financings and associated recapitalization and secondary transactions.
- Represented a Michigan company providing AI-powered workforce training platform in its Series A financing and post-closing recapitalization and securities offering.
- Represented a late-stage Georgia-based healthtech company in multiple rounds of private placement of debt and equity offerings.
Joint Venture and Other Investment Transactions.
- Represented an Austrian technology company in connection with its joint venture with a Japanese investor.
- Represented a renewable biofuel company in its financing in connection with its biofuel projects.
- Represented a renewable biofuel company in its financing from a large Japanese conglomerate.
- Represented a Swedish geothermal investment company in its joint venture with a large U.S. oil company.
- Represented a travel nurse staffing provider based in Georgia, in its investment into and joint venture with a California company providing healthcare staffing platform.
- Represented a private equity backed real estate and physician practice solution company in its financing from a strategic investor.
- Represented a German company in its investment into and joint venture with a Georgia-based real estate investment company.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick
Insights View All
Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition-Search Funds
Venture Capital and Emerging Companies
Santa Clara University School of Law J.D. (2016) High Tech Law Certificate – Corporate Specialization, with honors, Emery Merit Scholarship
Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan LL.B., Law (2013)
California (2021)
Illinois (2016)
American Bar Association, Member
U.S.-Japan Council (USJC)
Emerging Leaders Program, Class of 2023
Emerging Leaders Program Steering Committee, Member
Cleantech Open, Mentor
ShibuLA Ventures, Advisor
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