Rob Parr
Partner
-
Broad Transactional Expertise
Rob represents clients in complex commercial transactions and with IP-related aspects of venture capital financings, M&A transactions, and IPOs.
-
Extensive Industry Experience
He represents clients across various industries, including the artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, big data, cloud, digital health, digital media, e-commerce, edtech, fintech, gaming, Internet of Things, and software industries.
-
Focus on Start-Ups
Rob focuses on working with start-ups across all stages of their development, from inception through exit.
Rob Parr is a partner in the Boston office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he leads the office’s information technology transactions practice. He represents companies in transactions focused on the exploitation of intellectual property rights and technology in a variety of industries. Rob represents many companies in the digital health industry in particular and plays a key role in the firm’s digital health initiative. He regularly drafts and negotiates a wide variety of complex commercial agreements, including services, distribution, strategic alliance and joint venture, supply, asset transfer, and intellectual property license agreements. Rob also represents clients with the intellectual property and commercial issues arising from financings, mergers, acquisitions, and initial public offerings. The International Association of Privacy Professionals has designated Rob as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).
Prior to joining the firm, Rob was a partner in the technology transactions group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He began his career at Venable LLP where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property licensing matters.
Experience
Rob Parr is a partner in the Boston office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he leads the office’s information technology transactions practice. He represents companies in transactions focused on the exploitation of intellectual property rights and technology in a variety of industries. Rob represents many companies in the digital health industry in particular and plays a key role in the firm’s digital health initiative. He regularly drafts and negotiates a wide variety of complex commercial agreements, including services, distribution, strategic alliance and joint venture, supply, asset transfer, and intellectual property license agreements. Rob also represents clients with the intellectual property and commercial issues arising from financings, mergers, acquisitions, and initial public offerings. The International Association of Privacy Professionals has designated Rob as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).
Prior to joining the firm, Rob was a partner in the technology transactions group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He began his career at Venable LLP where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property licensing matters.
Education
- J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 2012
Cum Laude, Research and Writing Fellow
- B.A., Colgate University, 2007
Honors
- Named to the 2023 edition of the “Rising Stars” list published by Massachusetts Super Lawyers
Admissions
- Bar of the District of Columbia
- State Bar of Maryland
- State Bar of Massachusetts
Credentials
Education
- J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 2012
Cum Laude, Research and Writing Fellow
- B.A., Colgate University, 2007
Honors
- Named to the 2023 edition of the “Rising Stars” list published by Massachusetts Super Lawyers
Admissions
- Bar of the District of Columbia
- State Bar of Maryland
- State Bar of Massachusetts
Select Commercial Experience
- API license and SDK access agreements
- Asset purchase, sale and transfer agreements, including in connection with M&A deals
- Beta, trial, and evaluation agreements for technology products
- Consumer agreements and notices, including terms of service for online applications and properties, terms of sale, privacy policies, and warranty terms
- Data licensing agreements
- Distribution and sales channel agreements, including reseller, referral, value-added reseller, original equipment manufacturer, white-label, sales representative, and affiliate linking agreements
- IP and commercial issues, including due diligence, in connection with venture capital financings, buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions, and IPOs
- Manufacturing and supply agreements
- Open source software compliance and risk assessments in connection with product development, launch and commercialization, and venture capital, M&A, and IPO transactions
- SaaS subscription agreements, including support and service level agreements, and data processing agreements
- Software license agreements, including source code escrow agreements, enterprise agreements, end user licenses, and inbound software licenses
- Sponsored research agreements, patent licenses, and software licenses with universities and research institutions
- Technology development agreements, including joint development arrangements for hardware and software products
Representative Commercial Transactions
- Represented edtech company in licensing foundational technology assets from a leading research institution
- Represented electronic gaming company in licensing its data transmission platform to a major videogame and software publisher
- Represented fintech company in licensing its AI-powered credit evaluation platform to a major credit card company
- Represented IoT device manufacturer in development and distribution agreement with a major electronics company
- Represented telemedicine company with various commercial matters, including terms of service, privacy policies, enterprise SaaS agreements, vendor agreements, API licenses, value-added reseller agreements and other strategic commercial transactions
Representative Investment Transactions
- Represented Babylon, an AI-powered digital health company, in its investment in Higi, a consumer health company
- Represented Corcentric, a provider of cloud-based financial process automation solutions, in its fundraise from private equity firm Bregal Sagemount
- Represented FLIR Systems, a provider of thermal imaging technology, in various investment transactions
- Represented Francisco Partners, a global investment firm that specializes in technology and technology-enabled businesses, in its investment in GAINSystems, a provider of supply chain planning and inventory optimization solutions
- Represented KKR, a private equity firm, in its investment in FanDuel, a provider of daily fantasy sports software
Representative M&A Transactions
- Represented Alpine Investors, a private equity firm focused on software and services, in various acquisitions
- Represented Cvent, a provider of cloud-based enterprise management solutions, in its sale to private equity firm Vista Equity Partners
- Represented Nuance Communications, a provider of voice and language solutions, in various acquisitions
- Represented Ushr Technologies, a provider of high-definition map technologies, in its sale to Dynamic Map Platform, a provider of 3D map data used for autonomous driving and safe-driving support systems
- Represented WageWorks, a provider of a benefits-as-a-service technology platform, in its sale to HealthEquity, a health savings account non-bank custodian
Matters
Select Commercial Experience
- API license and SDK access agreements
- Asset purchase, sale and transfer agreements, including in connection with M&A deals
- Beta, trial, and evaluation agreements for technology products
- Consumer agreements and notices, including terms of service for online applications and properties, terms of sale, privacy policies, and warranty terms
- Data licensing agreements
- Distribution and sales channel agreements, including reseller, referral, value-added reseller, original equipment manufacturer, white-label, sales representative, and affiliate linking agreements
- IP and commercial issues, including due diligence, in connection with venture capital financings, buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions, and IPOs
- Manufacturing and supply agreements
- Open source software compliance and risk assessments in connection with product development, launch and commercialization, and venture capital, M&A, and IPO transactions
- SaaS subscription agreements, including support and service level agreements, and data processing agreements
- Software license agreements, including source code escrow agreements, enterprise agreements, end user licenses, and inbound software licenses
- Sponsored research agreements, patent licenses, and software licenses with universities and research institutions
- Technology development agreements, including joint development arrangements for hardware and software products
Representative Commercial Transactions
- Represented edtech company in licensing foundational technology assets from a leading research institution
- Represented electronic gaming company in licensing its data transmission platform to a major videogame and software publisher
- Represented fintech company in licensing its AI-powered credit evaluation platform to a major credit card company
- Represented IoT device manufacturer in development and distribution agreement with a major electronics company
- Represented telemedicine company with various commercial matters, including terms of service, privacy policies, enterprise SaaS agreements, vendor agreements, API licenses, value-added reseller agreements and other strategic commercial transactions
Representative Investment Transactions
- Represented Babylon, an AI-powered digital health company, in its investment in Higi, a consumer health company
- Represented Corcentric, a provider of cloud-based financial process automation solutions, in its fundraise from private equity firm Bregal Sagemount
- Represented FLIR Systems, a provider of thermal imaging technology, in various investment transactions
- Represented Francisco Partners, a global investment firm that specializes in technology and technology-enabled businesses, in its investment in GAINSystems, a provider of supply chain planning and inventory optimization solutions
- Represented KKR, a private equity firm, in its investment in FanDuel, a provider of daily fantasy sports software
Representative M&A Transactions
- Represented Alpine Investors, a private equity firm focused on software and services, in various acquisitions
- Represented Cvent, a provider of cloud-based enterprise management solutions, in its sale to private equity firm Vista Equity Partners
- Represented Nuance Communications, a provider of voice and language solutions, in various acquisitions
- Represented Ushr Technologies, a provider of high-definition map technologies, in its sale to Dynamic Map Platform, a provider of 3D map data used for autonomous driving and safe-driving support systems
- Represented WageWorks, a provider of a benefits-as-a-service technology platform, in its sale to HealthEquity, a health savings account non-bank custodian
Select Publications
- Co-author, "Machine Learning Legal Issues for Digital Health Companies in Commercial Transactions," Digital Health Report, Q1 2020
- "Beware of ‘Most Favored Nations’ Clauses in Commercial Contracts," Digital Health Report, Fall 2019
- "Avoid Potential Pitfalls When Incorporating Third-Party Software into Wearable Products," Digital Health Report, Summer 2019
- Co-author, "Information Security Implications for Business Agreements," Law360, 2013
- Co-author, "Guidelines for Protecting Company Trade Secrets," Employers and the Law: 2013-14 Anthology of Best Articles, 2013
Select Speaking Engagements
- Guest Speaker, Technology Transactions Topics, Cornell Tech, Cornell University, 2017-Present
- Guest Speaker, "Non-Disclosure and Technology Development Agreements," Activate/Cyclotron Road, 2020
- Guest Speaker, "Protecting Your Innovations," Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab, 2019
Insights
Select Publications
- Co-author, "Machine Learning Legal Issues for Digital Health Companies in Commercial Transactions," Digital Health Report, Q1 2020
- "Beware of ‘Most Favored Nations’ Clauses in Commercial Contracts," Digital Health Report, Fall 2019
- "Avoid Potential Pitfalls When Incorporating Third-Party Software into Wearable Products," Digital Health Report, Summer 2019
- Co-author, "Information Security Implications for Business Agreements," Law360, 2013
- Co-author, "Guidelines for Protecting Company Trade Secrets," Employers and the Law: 2013-14 Anthology of Best Articles, 2013
Select Speaking Engagements
- Guest Speaker, Technology Transactions Topics, Cornell Tech, Cornell University, 2017-Present
- Guest Speaker, "Non-Disclosure and Technology Development Agreements," Activate/Cyclotron Road, 2020
- Guest Speaker, "Protecting Your Innovations," Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab, 2019
Recent Insights
Client Highlights
Firm Advises SparkMeter on Honeywell Smart Energy Investment and Partnership
On November 29, 2023, SparkMeter, a provider of grid management services, equipment, and software solutions that increase access to reliable electricity in underserved communities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, announced a strategic $5 million investment and global partnership with Honeywell Smart Energy, one of the largest utility digital solution providers in the world. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised SparkMeter on the transaction.
Learn More
Client Highlights
Wilson Sonsini Advises Delve Bio on Licensing from UCSF, Launch, and $35 Million Series A Financing
On June 20, 2023, Delve Bio, a pioneer in metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for infectious diseases, debuted with $35 million in Series A financing led by Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund II (PXV Fund II) – and joined by Section 32 and GV. The funds will be used to commercialize the company’s mNGS-based infectious disease test – which was developed by world-renowned infectious disease experts at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Next-Gen Precision Diagnostics – and advance a pipeline of next-generation tests. Delve Bio was started in connection with UCSF through its engagement and opportunity development team in Innovation Ventures’ Office of Technology Management and Advancement (OTMA), which leads licensing, start-up, and business development efforts on behalf of the university. The company holds an exclusive in-license from UCSF for the development and commercialization of its mNGS diagnostic platform, including its clinically validated mNGS test for cerebrospinal fluid that has been widely used by clinicians to solve complex cases of meningitis and encephalitis.
Learn More
Recent Events
WSGR Events
Digital Health Webinar Series Session 6: AI in the Digital Health Industry: Key Regulatory, IP, and Commercial Topics
Artificial intelligence is a growing part of today’s healthcare landscape, and the intersection of AI and healthcare is expected to grow to a $100 billion market opportunity by 2028. Companies seeking to develop or use AI technologies in the healthcare space must understand the rapidly evolving regulations concerning AI and the key IP and commercial issues that arise from using or deploying AI technologies. In this sixth session of Wilson Sonsini’s Digital Health Series, we’ll cover:
Learn More
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Use
- Accessibility
Copyright © 2024 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. All Rights Reserved.