Riaz A. Karamali is a partner in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. He is a counselor and deal-maker who assists clients with negotiating and closing domestic and international venture finance, private equity, M&A and technology transactions. Riaz has worked with hundreds of start-up and emerging companies, guiding them from their pre-founding stages through their seed and venture capital financing rounds, significant commercial contracts and strategic alliances to their ultimate exit transactions. Riaz advises a number of clients regarding initial coin offerings (ICOs) and other legal issues regarding blockchain and digital currencies. Riaz received his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and his bachelor's degree from Rice University.