Key Takeaways
- • Pillsbury hires Eunice Choi as partner in Investment Funds practice, based in San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices, marking another lateral appointment to the firm's growing venture capital advisory team.
- • Choi brings three years of private investment fund experience from Goodwin, with expertise spanning venture capital fund formation, private equity structuring, and alternative investment fund management across US, Korean, and Japanese markets.
- • She will lead Pillsbury's private capital sponsor practice, advising clients on fund formation, entity organization, partnership agreements, side letter negotiation, and investment transaction structuring for venture and private equity vehicles ranging from early-stage to billion-dollar partnerships.
- • Appointment reflects market tailwinds for venture capital, with Pillsbury chair David Dekker noting increased client enthusiasm for private capital sources amid capital markets uncertainty, positioning the hire to capitalize on demand for VC fund advisory services.
- • Hire adds specialized expertise in technology and venture capital sectors, complementing Pillsbury's existing Investment Funds team and strengthening the firm's ability to serve both fund sponsors and portfolio company clients in the private capital space.
Summary
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has appointed Eunice Choi as a partner in its Investment Funds practice, effective immediately, with offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The appointment represents the latest in a series of lateral hires bolstering Pillsbury's venture capital and private capital advisory capabilities.
Choi joins from Goodwin, where she spent three years as a private investment fund partner. At Pillsbury, she will lead the firm's private capital sponsor practice, focusing on venture capital and alternative investment fund advisory. Her practice encompasses the full spectrum of fund formation and management activities: advising on fund formation and structuring, entity organization, investment fund documentation, side letter preparation, partnership agreement negotiation, subscription documentation, and investment transaction vehicle structuring. Her client base spans early-stage venture capital firms through billion-dollar private equity partnerships, with particular strength in cross-border transactions involving US, Korean, and Japanese investors.
David Dekker, chair of Pillsbury, characterized the hire as strategically aligned with current market dynamics. "With many of our clients facing uncertainty in the capital markets, we are seeing increasing enthusiasm for venture capital and other sources of private capital to fuel new ideas and innovations. Eunice's arrival aligns well with these developments, and her experience will be immediately beneficial to clients looking to grow and prosper in this environment," Dekker stated.
Semma Arzapalo, leader of the Investment Funds practice, emphasized Choi's complementary value to the existing team. "Eunice has an expansive skillset that will benefit a wide array of clients active in the world of private capital—particularly those focused on VC investing. Her vast experience, diverse expertise and strong connections to the technology and venture capital sectors complement our existing funds team extremely well, and will be a tremendous boon to both the fund and portfolio company clients we represent in the space."
The hire underscores Pillsbury's expansion of its investment funds advisory platform during a period of sustained demand for private capital formation services, driven by institutional investor appetite for venture capital and private equity vehicles as alternatives to traditional public markets.
Choi joins from Goodwin, where she spent three years as a private investment fund partner. At Pillsbury, she will lead the firm's private capital sponsor practice, focusing on venture capital and alternative investment fund advisory. Her practice encompasses the full spectrum of fund formation and management activities: advising on fund formation and structuring, entity organization, investment fund documentation, side letter preparation, partnership agreement negotiation, subscription documentation, and investment transaction vehicle structuring. Her client base spans early-stage venture capital firms through billion-dollar private equity partnerships, with particular strength in cross-border transactions involving US, Korean, and Japanese investors.
David Dekker, chair of Pillsbury, characterized the hire as strategically aligned with current market dynamics. "With many of our clients facing uncertainty in the capital markets, we are seeing increasing enthusiasm for venture capital and other sources of private capital to fuel new ideas and innovations. Eunice's arrival aligns well with these developments, and her experience will be immediately beneficial to clients looking to grow and prosper in this environment," Dekker stated.
Semma Arzapalo, leader of the Investment Funds practice, emphasized Choi's complementary value to the existing team. "Eunice has an expansive skillset that will benefit a wide array of clients active in the world of private capital—particularly those focused on VC investing. Her vast experience, diverse expertise and strong connections to the technology and venture capital sectors complement our existing funds team extremely well, and will be a tremendous boon to both the fund and portfolio company clients we represent in the space."
The hire underscores Pillsbury's expansion of its investment funds advisory platform during a period of sustained demand for private capital formation services, driven by institutional investor appetite for venture capital and private equity vehicles as alternatives to traditional public markets.
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