Bill BERRY

General Counsel Verkada
University of Virginia

Bill Berry is general counsel at Verkada, a Sequoia-backed disruptor in the physical security space that is valued at more than $3.2 billion. He brings two decades of experience leading legal teams at Tesla and Google, as well as working as a litigator at Quinn Emanuel and the SEC. Berry earned his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia. He served in the U.S. Navy on a guided-missile cruiser after graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from the Virginia Military Institute.

Berry has built Verkada’s legal department from the ground up and played an integral role in Verkada’s rapidly growing business. Shortly after joining, he had an immediate impact when Verkada secured two big wins in pending patent litigation, as well as an early dismissal of a patent troll lawsuit. At the same time, he spearheaded the company’s patent strategy, securing its first patents and laying out a strategic roadmap to expand its portfolio. Berry also played an important role in Verkada’s Series D fundraise in September 2022 just months after he started at the company. He is the executive sponsor for the Veterans at Verkada employee resource group. Berry also serves on the board of the Family and Children’s Law Center in Marin County, an organization that provides high-quality, low-cost legal services to help underserved adults and children navigate the legal system. He has also represented clients of the center on matters in Marin County Superior Court. He is also a charter member at Tech GC, an independent peer community for general counsels at startups to share knowledge, best practices and support.

Berry was previously the head of Tesla’s legal department, where he led a team of 140 lawyers, paralegals and support staff worldwide and reported directly to Tesla’s CEO. He developed Tesla’s legal strategy and oversaw its execution on myriad issues ranging from bet-the-company litigation as well as privacy and regulatory compliance, IP licensing and all facets of its consumer, commercial, patent and employment litigation dockets. Berry also created the company’s first-ever long-term patent strategy and re-structured Tesla’s in-house legal function to handle commercial and employment lawsuits without outside counsel.

PRIVATE COMPANY LARGE FINALISTS

Jason ERB

SVP, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer

Hyundai Motor North America

Duke University School of Law

Jason Erb is the senior vice president and chief legal and compliance officer for Hyundai Motor North America, providing strategic legal direction and oversight for all operations and regulatory matters across the Americas. With over 20 years at Hyundai, he joined as senior counsel in 2002 and previously served as vice president and chief legal officer, leading class action and intellectual property litigation efforts. A board member of Teach Democracy, Erb received the Bill of Rights Award in 2023. Recently, he played a key role in Hyundai's compliance with a three-year consent agreement with NHTSA and the establishment of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, a $5-billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia.

Kim NAKAMARU

General Counsel

Relativity Space

Loyola Law School

Kim Nakamaru is a general counsel who empowers complex, fast-growing companies at Relativity Space to enhance valuation and mitigate risk through adept navigation of transactions and stakeholder dynamics. With expertise in corporate law, governance, intellectual property and risk management, she has consistently achieved results in the highly regulated technology, telecommunications and aerospace sectors. Since joining Relativity Space as general counsel in 2023, she has made strides, including securing a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the company's Environmental Assessment, enhancing the IP strategy and launching an innovative IP Inventor Rewards Program. Outside of her professional contributions, Nakamaru is the executive sponsor for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) employee resource group and serves on the board of the California Women's Law Center, advocating for equality and justice.

Philip S. VOSS

Partner, SVP & Associate General Counsel

United Talent Agency

Rutgers School of Law

Phil Voss is a partner and the associate general counsel of United Talent Agency (UTA), where he helps implement corporate strategic initiatives across the agency’s various departments. Over his last eight years at UTA, he has watched the company grow three-fold, being involved with every major acquisition, including multiple private equity transactions during his tenure, including the 2022 transaction that saw EQT become UTA’s largest minority shareholder. Most recently, Voss has also helped close UTA and its subsidiary Klutch Sports Groups' acquisition of ROOF, a Munich-based multinational soccer representation agency. Earlier in the year, he helped spearhead Klutch's acquisition of Rep1 Baseball, a premier, full-service baseball agency and not long before that, UTA's acquisition of James & Co., an executive search firm based out of New York.