Christopher S. Ronne

Chris helps startup clients by reviewing their business plans, helping identify appropriate financing sources, and connecting them to various emerging company and venture capital communities. Chris also represents venture capital firms and other investors in connection with strategic investments in private companies.

In addition, Chris represents public and private companies, private equity, individual, and institutional investors in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, financings and strategic investments, and corporate governance matters. Before joining Morgan Lewis, Chris served as an attorney-advisor in the Division of Corporation Finance at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and he leverages that experience to advise clients with respect to US federal securities laws and corporate governance matters.

While serving in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, Chris reviewed transactional and securities disclosures filed under the Securities Act of 1933, such as IPOs, follow-on offerings, spin-offs, and business combinations, as well as current and periodic reports by public companies filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

• Private equity sponsor Juggernaut Capital Partners L.P. in joint venture with Dwayne Johnson to establish ZOA Energy LLC
• GCT Semiconductor Inc. in a business combination with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Concord Acquisition Corp III
• Octopi Brewing in its sale to Asahi Breweries
• Cisco Systems Inc. in its acquisition of Armorblox Inc.
• Avida Biomed in its sale to Agilent Technologies
• PAE Incorporated in its $1.9 billion sale to Amentum Government Services Holdings LLC
• DuraServ Corp in its acquisitions of Industrial Equipment & Specialties Inc., Doors Unlimited of Tennessee Inc., Acme Doors Inc., Translift Dock & Door LLC, and Hill Enterprises LLC
• ImOn Communications LLC in its sale to Goldman Sachs Asset Management
• Canada-based Giampaolo Group Inc. in its cross-border acquisition of Ohio Valley Aluminum Co.
• Gulf Coast Country Sovereign Wealth Fund in various transactions, including a $500 million investment in a US private company and as the lead investor in $800 million follow-on financing, a $300 million investment in a US private company, and advising transactional and governance structures for sale of another portfolio company in a SPAC transaction
• Atlantic Broadband, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc., in its $1.125 billion acquisition of WideOpenWest Inc.'s broadband systems in Ohio
• Smart Wires Inc. in a series of related transactions, including a private placement of ordinary shares of Smart Wires Technology Ltd. (SWT), a newly formed British Virgin Islands parent holding company for aggregate proceeds of approximately $150 million, and the subsequent direct listing of Swedish depository receipts representing SWT ordinary shares on the NASDAQ First North Growth Market Exchange in Sweden
• Hawaii-based telecommunications company in $350 million sale of underwater cable network to New Zealand company
• Point Broadband LLC’s acquisition of BVU Authority’s Optinet and Sunset Digital Communications Inc.
• Atlantic Broadband in its acquisition of Thames Valley Communications
• MediaCo Holding Inc.’s 1934 Act-registered spin-off transaction from Emmis Communications Corp.
• Federally chartered educational institution in refinancings of its senior credit facilities