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Freshfields Advises Zymergen on its Sale to Ginkgo Bioworks — First-Ever Sale of a Publicly-Listed Public Benefit Corporation

Freshfields is advising Zymergen Inc. (Nasdaq: ZY), a biotechnology company that uses a combination of software, biology, chemistry and automation to develop and manufacture bio-based breakthrough products and materials, in its sale to Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA), a leading horizontal platform for cell programming, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $300 million. The transaction represents the first-ever sale of a publicly-listed public benefit corporation. Details of the transaction and its rationale can be found here.

The Freshfields team is led by M&A Partner Joseph Halloum and capital markets Partner Sarah Solum, as well as M&A Counsel Oliver Board and Associates Victor Ma, Joyce Yeo, Jenny Park and Wicy Wang; executive compensation and employee benefits Partner Lori Goodman, Counsel Sarah Ghulamhussain and Associate Lina Zhu; antitrust Partner Justin Stewart-Teitelbaum, Counsel Angela Landry and Associate Lauren Vaca; tax Partner Claude Stansbury and Senior Associate David Mitchell; IP/tech transactions Partner Mena Kaplan and Associates Marissa Yu and Mili Astesiano; data privacy and security Partner Christine Lyon, Counsel Brock Dahl and Associate Cody Goodchild; foreign investment/trade compliance Partners Aimen Mir and Nabeel Yousef and Senior Associate Amy Cattle; life sciences Partner Vinita Kailasanath and Associate Sora Park; and litigation Partners Boris Feldman, Meredith Kotler and Doru Gavril and Senior Associate Drew Liming.

Freshfields also had served as issuer’s counsel to Zymergen on its IPO on Nasdaq as a public benefit corporation.

ENDS

About Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global elite law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world's leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments on groundbreaking and business-critical mandates. Our 2,800-plus lawyers deliver results worldwide through our own offices and alongside leading local firms. Our commitment, local and multinational expertise, and business know-how means our clients rely on us when it matters most.

Freshfields is ranked by Chambers Global in Band 1 across the six areas of antitrust, corporate/M&A, litigation, international arbitration, tax, and public international law. For more information visit Freshfields.us.

This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.