Rachelle Soderstrom

RACHELLE SODERSTROM  advises world-leading technology companies on how to navigate their most critical IP needs.

Rachelle provides companies at all stages of development with thoughtful and solution-oriented advice in connection with complex commercial transactions, as well as day-to-day operations. Rachelle has extensive experience counseling emerging companies and venture capital investors on the development, protection, and commercialization of cutting-edge technology, with a particular focus on generative AI. In addition, Rachelle provides more established Fortune 50 companies with practical and strategic advice on a wide range of intellectual property issues, including strategic collaborations with, and acquisitions of, emerging technology companies. Representative clients include Meta, Amazon, eBay, PayPal, Salesforce, United Airlines, and GE Aviation.

Rachelle counsels clients in the technology, fintech, digital health, life sciences, and climate tech industries, as well as in the beauty, retail, automotive, and airline industries. As a business-oriented, problem-solving lawyer, clients turn to Rachelle for her guidance on all aspects of intellectual property, including development, acquisition, use, protection, license, and sale. Rachelle advises clients in connection with U.S. and cross-border business transactions, including strategic alliances, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and spin-outs. Rachelle also has extensive experience counseling clients on the full array of commercial transactions, including technology development, outsourcing, manufacturing and supply, distribution, hosting, and marketing and promotional relationships.

Rachelle is a speaker on panels and at conferences on various topics, including technology licensing, IP, and women in the legal profession. Rachelle was named a “Rising Star” in the 2024 and 2025 editions of IP Stars by Managing IP, which recognizes some of “the best up-and-coming intellectual property practitioners in private practice who have contributed to the success of their firms and clients.”

Rachelle received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where she was awarded the Jeffrey S. Turner Outstanding Commercial Law Student Award. While in law school, Rachelle served as managing editor of the Women’s Law Journal and as an extern for The Honorable Bernard Zimmerman for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. Prior to law school, Rachelle worked as an analyst for UBP Asset Management, an international asset management firm, and started her own e-commerce jewelry company. She received her B.A. in art history from Vanderbilt University.

Representative matters handled by Rachelle include the following:

Technology

• Represented Amazon in the preparation and negotiation of multiple agreements with commercial partners for Alexa+, Amazon’s next-generation AI assistant.
• Represented Amazon in its partnership with Disney to introduce Hey, Disney!, a new custom voice assistant based on Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant solution.
• Represented Menlo Microsystems, Inc., a startup spun out of GE’s Global Research Center, in its license and related agreements for its foundational IP.
• Advised emerging companies on university licenses and sponsored research agreements.
• Advised Armis, leading asset intelligence cybersecurity company, in its US$150 million acquisition of Silk Security, a leading platform for cyber risk prioritization and remediation.
• Represented CareerBuilder, a portfolio company majority-owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, in its sale of Textkernel, a CareerBuilder subsidiary company and global leading AI powered HR technology provider headquartered in the Netherlands, to Main Capital Partners.
• Represented Salesforce in its US$1.33 billion acquisition of Vlocity, Inc.
• Represented Pandora Media in the sale of Ticketfly to Eventbrite for US$200 million.
• Represented Cadence in connection with its acquisition of Rocketick Technologies Ltd, an Israeli-based technology company.
• Represented Hewlett Packard Enterprise in acquisition of Silicon Graphics International (SGI) in a cash acquisition valued at approximately US$275 million, net of cash and debt.

Beauty & Cosmetics

• Advised beauty and cosmetic companies on IP ownership issues and manufacturing and supply agreements.
• Represented Naturium, a skin care brand, in its acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty for US$355 million.
• Represented Hero Cosmetics, Inc. (Hero Mighty Patch brand) in its acquisition by Church & Dwight Co., Inc. for US$630 million.
• Represented Briogeo, a haircare brand, in its acquisition by Well Company.
• Represented ILIA Inc., a cosmetics brand, in its acquisition by Famille C, the Courtin-Clarins family holding company and owner of the Clarins brand.
• Represented Youth to the People, a skincare brand, in its acquisition by L’Oréal.
• Represented the seller of the TheraBreath mouthwash brand in its US$580 million sale to Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
• Represented Vegamour, a haircare brand, in connection with an US$80 million equity investment by General Atlantic.

Automotive, Airlines & Transportation

• Represented Wheels, a major fleet management company, and Apollo Global Management in a minority investment from Marubeni Corporation and Lithia & Driveway.
• Represented State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in its investment of US$1.2 billion in ADT Inc.
• Represented GE Aviation in its joint venture with Praxair, Inc. to develop support specialized coatings tailored for GE Aviation’s current and future engine model.
• Represented Variant Equity in its acquisition of Coach USA Administration, Inc. from Stagecoach Group Plc.
• Represented emerging company developing electric vehicle technology in license and development agreement with German car company.
• Represented airline in connection with collaboration with emerging technology company to develop blockchain based ticketing system.
• Represented fueling company in joint venture with freight shipping company to develop software platform to track carbon emissions. 

Fintech

• Represented Kroll, a leading independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions, in a strategic collaboration with StepStone Group, a global private markets solutions provider, in the launch of the Kroll StepStone Private Credit Benchmarks.
• Advised nCino, Inc. in its acquisition of DocFox, a software company that helps simplify and automate opening new customer accounts in commercial and business banking.
• Represented prominent financial institution in licensing of proprietary investment algorithm to create an index fund.
• Advised clients on development, licensing and sale of software platform technology to power financial services offerings.
• Advised private equity funds on technology development, intellectual property licensing and software engineer recruiting matters.

Digital Health

• Represented medtech company in connection with worldwide collaboration with emerging health tech company for the development and integration of computer vision platform into smart operating rooms.
• Assisted with intellectual property aspects of digital health venture capital investments, including in companies developing virtual reality technology for in home health aide training and remote patient monitoring.

Biotechnology & Life Sciences

• Represented the biotechnology company Lyell Immunopharma in a strategic partnership with PACT Pharma to jointly develop and test next generation personalized anti-cancer T-cell therapies against solid tumors.
• Represented Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in a worldwide collaboration and license agreement with Adaptive Biotechnologies, an immune-driven medicine company, to develop, manufacture and commercialize novel neoantigen directed T-cell therapies for the treatment of a broad range of cancers.
• Represented Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in the formation of a global collaboration with Ovid Therapeutics, Inc. that focuses on the clinical development and commercialization of TAK-935, Takeda’s new investigational drug to treat rare pediatric epilepsies.

Climate Tech & Agriculture

• Represented The Climate Corporation in its Digital Ag Alliance agreement with AGCO.
• Represented Asilomar Bio in its exclusive commercial license agreement with Koch Biological Solutions, LLC (Koch) for Koch to commercialize and market products containing Asilomar Bio’s flagship yield enhancement technology for foliar and in-furrow application on a broad set of crops, including all major row crops.
• Represented Monsanto Company in the establishment of a joint venture with Remington Holding Company LLC, called Innovative Seed Solutions, LLC, focused initially on sorghum development. In a related transaction, a subsidiary of Remington purchased Monsanto’s sorghum production assets in the United States. The joint venture partners have valued these transactions at approximately US$169.5 million with a total cash payment of US$110.5 million by Remington.