Brian Beard serves as a Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He joined the firm from the Austin office of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, which he co-founded in 1997. Beard practices corporate and securities law with a focus on representation of start-up and emerging growth companies, representation of issuers and underwriters involved in public offerings, and representation of companies involved in merger and acquisition transactions. Beard helped build one of the leading technology practices in Texas, assisting emerging growth companies raise billions of dollars in private and public offerings. He also has handled several billion dollars in mergers and acquisitions transactions and has represented leading venture capital firms in Texas and throughout the country.