Tech Transfer – Big Success Happening in A Small Space with Ellen Kats

Today on Tech Transfer IP  your host Lisa has the pleasure of welcoming Ellen Kats to the show. Ellen is an Assistant Director of Licensing at Innovation Ventures at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). At UCSF, Ellen is responsible for sourcing and completing high-value deals for UCSF’s most commercially attractive technologies. Besides helping bring UCSF’s innovation from bench to bedside, Ellen manages a large and diverse portfolio, advises faculty and staff on IP strategy, and negotiates intellectual property terms for large-scale industry collaborations.

Ellen shares her journey to tech transfer and how she ended up at UCSF. She also discusses how her office is structured, how it differs from other offices in the UC system, and how many people work there. Ellen also talks about how many inventions they disclose every year, the percentage they file on, and how many active licenses they have each year.

Listen, as Ellen discusses their five top-earning inventions during her time at UCSF, the role of corporate partners, and how they work with philanthropic organizations. She shares some of their recent big success stories and the two biggest challenges her office faces. To wrap things up, Ellen says that if she had three wishes for her office, she would make more room for her team at the top of it.

In This Episode:

• [02:08] Ellen, welcome to the show!
• [02:28] Ellen shares a little of her background, her journey into tech transfer, and how she ended up at UCSF.
• [04:30] Listen as Ellen discusses how her office is structured and how it differs from other UC system offices.
• [07:54] How many people are in your office? 
• [08:48] Ellen speaks about how many inventions they disclose in her office each year.
• [10:01] What percentage would you say you file on?
• [10:27] Ellen shares how many active licenses they have every year.
• [11:12] Ellen discusses that their average patent royalty and fee income over the last five years is $30.5M.
• [11:42] Listen as Ellen speaks about their top 5 earning inventions during her time with UCSF.
• [13:23] Ellen discusses the twelve corporate partners they have right now.
• [14:21] Have your corporate partners lead to more deals or differently structured deals?
• [15:44] Ellen shares the role of philanthropic organizations in their office.
• [18:55] Listen, as Ellen shares some of their recent big success stories.
• [21:32] Ellen speaks about hiring google and yahoo fellows for this program.
• [22:52] She discusses collaborating with ShangPharma.
• [24:02] Ellen shares a startup called Akili, the first prescription treatment delivered through a video game for ADHD.
• [27:00] What are two of the biggest challenges your office faces?
• [27:58] Ellen speaks about the value that organizations like AUTM, LES, and BIO offer.
• [29:12] Ellen shares that if she had three wishes for her office, what she would wish for.
• [31:54] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Find Ellen:

• Email Ellen at [email protected]