Craig Lilly is Chair of the firm’s West Coast Mergers and Acquisition Practice. He is a nationally recognized advisor to strategics and financial sponsors on transformative domestic and cross-border technology acquisitions, mergers, recapitalizations, spinoffs, and minority investments. Craig’s practice includes advising emerging technology companies and funds on venture capital financings, debt financings, corporate governance, and public offerings. He also represents fund sponsors in connection with structuring and organizing investment funds, parallel investment vehicles, and offshore funds.
Prior to joining the firm, Craig was partner in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco, California offices of a global law firm where he concentrated on complex cross-border and domestic mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
Craig maintains an active pro bono practice. His work includes education and mentoring to help minority and diverse management teams and companies achieve a sustainable growth strategy.
Craig frequently writes and lectures on legal and business issues regarding mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, and corporate finance. He has been quoted in, or contributed to, articles and features in Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, The Deal, Reuters, Financier Worldwide, CFO.com, and other major publications.
Craig was listed in Thomson Reuters as one of its “Stand-Out Lawyers” in 2026.
Experience
*Represented ArtsAi, recently ranked as the fastest-growing private Ad Technology company for the second consecutive year, on a merger transaction and sale to Claritas.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of MediaAgility, Inc., a multinational global cloud transformation services provider with deep expertise in enterprise cloud-native application development and modernization, analytics and AI, cloud engineering, and migrations.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of the assets of Data Glove, Inc. and its affiliates, a multinational Azure-based digital transformation company with expertise in data modernization, cloud advisory services, business application innovation, workspace modernization, and intelligent automation.
*Represented a global data center company with respect to multiple buy-side acquisitions.
*Represented Amperex Technology Ltd. in a Series D preferred stock investment in Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc., a battery materials manufacturing company.
*Represented a well-known online shopping retailer and marketplace with respect to several technology investments in a cloud communications platform, a brand‑trusted influence marketing company, and a digital experience company.
*Represented Bacchus Capital, LP, a California based private equity fund, with respect to multiple platform stock and related acquisitions.
*Represented Birlasoft (CK Birla Group) with respect to a merger with KPIT Technologies and later split of the combined entity of KPIT and Birlasoft into two public companies, with one focused on automotive engineering and mobility solutions.
*Represented Daimler AG and its affiliates on multiple preferred stock and equity investments in automotive technology companies including investments in Proterra, Inc., an electric bus and energy storage company.
*Represented Engie New Ventures and its affiliates with respect to multiple investments including a preferred stock investment in Czero, Inc., a developer of technology for decarbonizing natural gas.
*Represented Escalante Holdco LLC and its affiliates with respect to term and revolver loan financing.
*Represented Evergrande Heath with respect to a $2B merger transaction and investment in Faraday Future, Inc., a developer of electric cars, and later acquisition of a division.
*Represented Foxconn with respect to multiple acquisitions including the acquisition of the fiber optics division of Avago Technologies (now known as Broadcom).
*Represented Fluid Truck, Inc. with respect to its Series A preferred stock financing and secured debt financing.
*Represented a sovereign wealth fund with respect to a preferred stock investment in Uber Technologies, Inc., a multinational ride-hailing and mobility company.
*Represented Honex Interactive Industries LLC, a leading software company for automotive suppliers and services, with respect to the sale of its assets to Safelite Group, Inc.
*Represented Heidrick and Struggles with respect to a private acquisition.
*Represented Hera Systems with its sale to NYSE listed Redwire Corporation. Hera Systems focuses on developing a new class of high-performance artificial intelligence spacecraft to support the evolving requirements for national security missions operating in contested space.
*Represented Lufthansa Cargo AG with respect to a Series A preferred stock investments in Fleet Logistics, Inc., a leading transportation logistics company.
*Represent Marizyme, Inc. with to the stock acquisition of My Health Logic, a lab-on-chip technology developer for hand-held devices to provide rapid point-of-care diagnosis of chronic kidney diseases.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of Software Corporation International (SCI) and its affiliate, Fusion360, specializing in payment solutions, integration, and financial support services.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of Starfish Associates, a global software company that provides communication management solutions for unified communications and contact center platforms.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its stock acquisition of Capiot Software, Inc., an information technology company specializing in business intelligence and cloud solutions.
*Represented Persistent Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of the digital transformation division of Shree Partners.
*Represented The Danville Group (doing business as Rootstock Software), a leading provider of cloud-based enterprise resource planning, with respect to the sale to a private equity fund.
*Represented The Wheatsheaf Group/Grovesnor with respect to multiple control and minority investments, including TriStrata Group with respect to the acquisition of a transportation logistics company.
*Represented Purfresh, a portfolio company of a private equity sponsor, a door-to-door transportation system that combines ozone generation capabilities, real-time monitoring and controlled atmosphere, with respect to equity and debt financing.
*Represented SK Hynix with respect to multiple equity investments in private technology companies.
*Represented Terram Lab Corporation with respect to a convertible note and related venture financing.
*Represented Terram Lab Corporation with respect to the acquisition of Trend AT.
*Represented Terram Lab Corporation with respect to the acquisition of Stenco.
*Represented Toshiba America Business Solutions with respect to a spin-off transaction of its toner printer division.
*Represented Toshiba America Business Solutions with respect to the acquisition of Youmebee Limited.
*Represented a private equity fund in the stock acquisition of a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of pharmaceutical products and supporting services.
*Represented a private equity sponsor with respect to multiple platform and add-on stock acquisitions in the transportation, logistics, and business services industries.
*Represented numerous private equity and venture funds with respect to secondary exit transactions.
*Represented a growth stage investment firm in connection with a minority investment in leading artificial intelligence company Anthropic PBC. Anthropic is renowned for its advanced large language model called Claude, a rival of ChatGPT.
*Represented 7 Global Capital and its affiliates with respect to multiple venture investments including preferred stock investments in Anthropic, Fluidstack, Moonfare, Poolside, and The Mom Project.
*Represented Tencent Holdings Limited with respect to numerous preferred stock investments including investments in Flutterwave, Inc., Wonderstorm, Inc., and Kindred Systems Inc.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick
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University of Oklahoma College of Law J.D. (1990) Order of the Coif
University of Oklahoma B.B.A., Accounting and Finance (1987) with distinction
California (2004)
Texas (1990)
American Bar Association, Member
California State Bar Association, Business Law Section, Member
Texas Bar Association, Business Law Section, Member
Association for Corporate Growth – Silicon Valley, Board of Directors, Member; M&A Circle, Co-Chair
Financial Executives International – Silicon Valley Chapter, Advisor; Transaction Affinity Group Committee, Co-Chair
American Bar Association, State Regulation of Securities Committee, California Reporter (2006-2010)
American Bar Association, Negotiated Acquisitions Committee, Member; Private Equity Committee, Member; M&A Trends Committee, Member; Corporate Governance Committee, Member; Institutional Investors Committee, Member
The Venture Capital – Private Equity Roundtable, Member and Advisor
Stanford University, Law, Science and Technology, Advisory Board Member (2013-2015)
American Bar Association, State Regulation of Securities Committee, California Reporter (2006-2010)
Texas Business Law Foundation, Former Legal Advisor
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