Kolb

William R. Kolb

Partner
Co-Chair, Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group
Boston

I help clients complete their most important business transactions.

Bill Kolb has over 25 years of broad experience helping clients achieve their business objectives, including assisting them to raise money, acquire companies, go public, be sold, enter into complex licensing arrangements, and address their day-to-day ongoing legal needs. Bill works closely with clients in the life sciences, healthcare, technology, professional services and manufacturing industries, among others.

Bill is co-chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice group and has worked on scores of M&A transactions over the years, representing buyers, sellers, individual stakeholders, special committees of boards of directors, and investment banks. His M&A work has included acquisitions of public and private companies, tender offers, go privates, de-SPAC transactions, reorganizations and recapitalizations, strategic alliances and joint ventures. Bill has assisted domestic clients to make cross-border acquisitions and has advised foreign companies making acquisitions in the United States.

Bill regularly advises public and private clients on capital raises. His work in this area ranges from assisting large public companies on registered equity and debt offerings to helping start-ups obtain seed financing. Bill has represented numerous high-growth and emerging companies to complete financings with angel investors, venture capital firms and later-stage private equity firms.

Bill also enjoys counseling clients on their day-to-day legal needs. This includes providing corporate governance advice, attending Board and committee meetings, assisting public company clients on SEC reporting, drafting executive compensation arrangements, and negotiating license agreements.

Bill is a past Co-Managing Partner and Executive Committee member of Foley Hoag and a past chair of the firm’s Business Department. Bill majored in accounting in college and became a Certified Public Accountant.

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., magna cum laude
  • Marquette University, B.S. (Accounting), magna cum laude

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • Massachusetts

Experience

  • Root.io, the creator and developer of a platform that remediates open-source software vulnerabilities, in its sale to Aikido Security BV
  • Alcyone Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company known for its drug delivery solutions, in its sale to Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB)
  • AstroNova, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALOT), a leading provider of mission critical identification and marking solutions across the aerospace & defense and labeling & packaging industries, in its acquisition by Arcline Investment Management, a growth-oriented private equity firm for $272 million 
  • Organogenesis Holdings (Nasdaq: ORGO), a regenerative medicine company, in its $130 million PIPE of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
  • Standex International Corporation (NYSE: SXI) on acquiring US-based Amran Instrument Transformers and India-based Narayan Powertech Pvt. Ltd. for a combined enterprise value of approximately $462 million.
  • Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering RNA cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, in its merger with Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNAC).
  • Cornell Dubilier, a technology leader and manufacturer of high-quality film, electrolytic and mica capacitors, in its $263 million sale to Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN), a leading global supplier of high performance components and solutions.
  • Zapata AI, an industrial Generative AI software company on the completion of its business combination with Andretti Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: WNNR), a special purpose acquisition company, which resulted in publicly traded combined company (Nasdaq: ZPTA and ZPTAW)
  • InNeuroCo, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of neurovascular catheters, in its sale to Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR), a leading medical device outsource manufacturer.
  • Springtide Child Development, an autism care provider, in its sale to Cortica.
  • B2W Software, a leading provider of estimating and operations solutions for the heavy civil construction industry, in its $325 million sale to Trimble (Nasdaq: TRMB), an industrial technology company
  • COPILOT Provider Support Services, a healthcare hub services platform, in its sale to QHP Capital, a private equity firm that focuses on tech-enabled life sciences and pharmaceutical services companies
  • Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: AGTC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for the treatment of rare and debilitating diseases, in its sale to Syncona Limited (LON: SYNC) for approximately $23.5 million in cash ($0.34 per share)
  • AMI Entertainment Network, a leading digital jukebox business that provides tech-driven in-venue digital music and video entertainment and advertising content to the bar and restaurant industries, in its acquisition by Coral Tree Partners, a Los Angeles-based media and entertainment focused private equity firm, from The Gores Group
  • GatesAir, a portfolio company of The Gores Group, in its sale to Thomson Broadcast.
  • Advanced Medical Strategies in a growth equity investment by Silversmith Capital Partners.
  • Organogenesis (Nasdaq: ORGO) in its de-SPAC transaction with Avista Capital Partners.
  • United States Medical Supply in the sale of its urology division to Strive Medical.
  • ConstructSecure in a growth equity investment by Summit Partners.
  • Advanced Diabetes Supply in its sale to Court Square Capital.
  • Aware, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWRE) in its acquisition of Fortress Identity.
  • Curriculum Associates in its sale to Berkshire Partners.
  • Dell EMC (NYSE: DELL) in its sale of Dell EMC’s Enterprise Content Division to Open Text Corporation.
  • Organogenesis (Nasdaq: ORGO) in its acquisition of Dermagraft from Shire and its acquisitions of NuTech Medical and CPN Biosciences.
  • Integrated Prescription Management in its sale to Court Square Capital.
  • Topokine in its sale to Allergan.
  • CareMed Specialty Pharmacy in its sale to PharMerica.
  • Charles River Associates (Nasdaq: CRAI) in its acquisitions of Welch Consulting and InteCap.
  • Pegasystems (Nasdaq: PEGA) in its acquisition of OpenSpan.
  • Hittite Microwave (Nasdaq: HITT) in its sale to Analog Devices (Nasdaq: ADI).
  • Alere (NYSE: ALR) in numerous acquisitions of public and private companies, including Arriva, Binax, Cholestech, First Check, Free & Clear, Kroll and Redwood.
  • Alere (NYSE: ALR) in its sale of Alere Health to Optum.
  • Crystal Rock (NYSE: CRVP) in its sale to Cott (NYSE: COT).
  • InforMed in its sale to Conifer Health Solutions.
  • Crossbeam Systems in its sale to Thoma Bravo.
  • Watchfire in its sale to IBM.
  • Management Group of Hypertherm in the transfer of all of Hypertherm’s common stock into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
  • Acer Therapeutics in its merger with Opexa Therapeutics.
  • Allaire in its sale to Macromedia.
  • Powersoft in its sale to Sybase.
  • EMC in several acquisitions.
  • Prothelia in its strategic alliance with Alexion Pharmaceuticals granting Alexion an exclusive option to purchase Prothelia.
  • Kongsberg in its acquisition of Hydroid.
  • Aerva in its sale to Watchfire Signs.
  • HealthHonors in its sale to Healthways.
  • The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Concerto Software in its sale to Melita.
  • The Special Committee of Mestek in its “go private” transaction.
  • Order Motion in its sale to NetSuite.
  • Sirius Software in its sale to Rocket Software.
  • Infogate in its sale to AOL.
  • LSI Logic in its acquisition of IntraServer.

Honors & Involvement

HONORS
  • Best Lawyers: Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2012-2027)
  • Chambers USA: Leading Corporate/M&A attorney in Massachusetts (2003 – 2026)
  • IFLR1000: Highly Regarded for Massachusetts – M&A
  • Legal 500: Mergers, Acquisitions and Buyouts
  • Georgetown University Law Center: Order of the Coif
INVOLVEMENT
  • American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations, Member

Speaking Engagements

  • "Boards Under Pressure: Activism, Dysfunction, and Crisis Management," L Suite's 2025 Senior GC Summit (November 2025)
  • "Don't Block the Exit, " Foley Hoag M&A Forum (November 2023)
  • “SPACs: A Fad or Here to Stay?” – Foley Hoag M&A Forum (February 2021)
  • “The year of the IPO and the coming of age of the SPACs” – Biotech Showcase (January 2021)
  • “Going… going… gone!” – New England M&A Forum (January 2017)
  • “Recent developments from Delaware” – New England M&A Forum (September 2015)