Richard B. Bull

Richard B. Bull

Partner
Vice Chair, Emerging Growth and Venture Capital
Palo Alto (Silicon Valley)San Diego
About

Rich Bull is a partner whose practice focuses on representing companies across a wide range of industries, from technology and healthcare to manufacturing and insurance. He focuses in particular on mergers and acquisitions; financing; and general strategic and corporate counselling. 

Rich's mergers and acquisitions experience includes extensive public and private company representations in all types of transactions, including carve-out acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures and controlled investments both in the U.S. and internationally. Rich also has significant experience representing venture capital investors, corporate venture investors, and emerging growth companies in all types of minority equity and debt structures.

Rich is Vice Chair of DLA Piper’s Emerging Growth and Venture Capital Practice and a member of DLA Piper’s US-Asia Business Committee (USABC).

Areas of FocusCorporateEmerging Growth and Venture CapitalFinancial ServicesHealthcareInsuranceLife SciencesMergers and AcquisitionsTechnology
Bar admissionsCalifornia

Representative Experience

Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Woven by Toyota in its acquisition of an autonomous driving business from a leading Silicon Valley technology company, including patents, software and other technology and the in-licensing and out-licensing of patents, software and technology in connection with the spin-out transaction
  • Yamaha Motor in its acquisition of Siren Marine, a boat monitoring and tracking system
  • Yamaha Motor in its acquisition of Torqeedo, a developer and manufacturer of electric propulsion systems
  • MedImpact, an independent pharmacy benefit solutions company, in its acquisition of Elixir, a full-service pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company, from Rite Aid
  • Qualcomm in the sale of its subsidiary Qualcomm Life, a provider of medical device connectivity solutions, to Francisco Partners

Venture Financings

  • Sunrun as co-lead investor in the US$300 million Series B financing of Lunar Energy, a developer of home electrification technology intended to transition homes to 100% clean energy
  • U.S. Venture Partners as lead investor in the US$15 million Series A financing of Trust Lab, a company transforming how companies and public entities safeguard internet users
  • Woven Capital as lead investor in the financing of Corvus Energy, a provider of energy storage systems intended to form modular lithium-ion battery systems
  • Woven Capital as an investor in the US$85 million Series C financing of Foretellix, a developer of a vehicle verification system designed to automate the measurable safety of automated driving systems
  • Yamaha Motor as lead investor in the US$32 million Series B financing of World of River, Inc., a manufacturer of electric vehicles 
  • Pfizer Ventures as an investor in the US$25 million Series A financing of Mozart Therapeutics, a developer of disease-modifying therapies designed to focus on developing novel immune engagers

Awards

Chambers USA

  • Band 4, Nationwide Startups & Emerging Companies (2026)
  • Band 3, California Venture Capital (2026)
  • Band 5, Nationwide Startups & Emerging Companies (2024 – 2025)
  • Band 4, California Venture Capital (2024 – 2025)
  • Up and Coming, California Venture Capital (2023)

The Legal 500 United States

  • Recommended, Venture Capital & Emerging Companies (2023 – 2026)
  • Next Generation Partner, Venture Capital & Emerging Companies (2018 – 2019)
Education
  • J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law 2007
    Recipient of Emery Scholarship
  • B.A., University of Notre Dame

Media Mentions

My latest insights

News

DLA Piper bolsters cross-border Asia Corporate offering with key hires in Capital Markets...

11 February 2026

News

DLA Piper advises on Yamaha Motor’s acquisition of Robotics Plus

12 March 2025 .3 minute read

News

DLA Piper receives two Turnaround Awards from the M&A Advisor

15 January 2025 .2 minute read

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Phone

+1 858 677 1474
(Work, San Diego)
+1 650 833 1574
(Work, Silicon Valley)
+1 858 204 8651
(Mobile)