Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
John Roos is the chief executive officer of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and a member of the Executive Management Committee and Policy Committee. Prior to becoming CEO in February 2005, John had been the firm's managing director of professional services. He has been a partner at the firm since 1988.
John's corporate practice focuses on the representation of growth companies in the corporate finance and securities areas. He represents both privately held and public companies across a broad range of industries, including electronics, computers and software, and life sciences.
He has represented many major Silicon Valley companies during mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, strategic alliances, and joint ventures. He also has represented numerous start-up and early-stage companies in venture capital financings and other private placements of securities.
John has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Courtesy of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Related Links: http://www.wsgr.com
Last Updated: Fri, Oct 31, 2008
| Category | Title | Author/Speaker | Organization | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video | Career Advice: Five Takeaways | John Roos | WSGR | 03:50 | 03/2006 |
| Video | Focus on Building a Brand | John Roos | WSGR | 01:11 | 03/2006 |
| Podcast | Life Inside a Law Firm | John Roos | WSGR | 54:57 | 03/2006 |
| Video | Silicon Valley: An Ecosystem | John Roos | WSGR | 03:13 | 03/2006 |
| Video | Silicon Valley: Changing with the times | John Roos | WSGR | 04:59 | 03/2006 |
| Video | Simple Mission Statement | John Roos | WSGR | 01:15 | 03/2006 |
| Video | Strengths of Silicon Valley | John Roos | WSGR | 05:52 | 03/2006 |
| Video | The Three Circle Strategy | John Roos | WSGR | 06:10 | 03/2006 |
Roos gives five takeaways in his talk: 
Roos says that no matter what kind of industry you get into or the company you start, you should focus on building a brand because that is likely to pay off big time.
John Roos, CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, has represented many major Silicon Valley companies during mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, strategic alliances, and joint ventures. In this lecture, he describes many of the lessons he's learned since joining the firm in 1988, including building a brand, taking risks, and the importance of integrity.
Roos talks about how Silicon Valley is an ecosystem where everyone knows each other and everyone feeds off of each other. It is important when you are starting a company that you want to tap into that ecosystem, he says.
Roos talks about how the industry in Silicon Valley keeps changing. From the 1970s, the era of the brick and mortar technology industry, the Valley has seen a boom in semiconductor companies and computer companies, followed by the era of information technology and the Internet in the 90s. In this transition, the Valley has become global, he adds.
John Roos, chief executive officer of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, recommends having a simple mission statement when thinking about a business. You have to know what you are good at, where your core strengths lie, have a game plan and then stick with it, he says.
Roos strongly believes that the strength of Silicon Valley lies in the fact that it is built on merit and diversity. Additionally, the Valley is unique in that failure is not considered a stigma, he says.
Roos shares the Three Circle Strategy used at Wilson Sonsini. He says it is important for all great companies to start out and keep to fairly straightforward strategies yet remain flexible with the moving times.