As Senior Director of Technology Advancement and Licensing for the USC Stevens Center for Innovation, Rick Friedman leads the efforts to identify socially and commercially promising technologies within USC and to develop and implement IP and business development strategies for translating these technologies into practical application through licensing and other arrangements. Important elements of his responsibilities are to ensure that the USC Stevens Center’s policies and practices encourage the private sector to do business with USC, and to collaborate with other units within USC to provide IP and licensing guidance and support to achieve broad impact with USC innovations.

Rick has more than twenty years professional experience establishing business relationships that support the commercial development of early stage technologies. He has served effectively in leadership roles in a university technology commercialization office, a publicly-traded software company and a Silicon Valley law firm, as well as in non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining USC, Rick served as Associate Director of Licensing at the University of Texas at Austin. In this role, Rick played a key role in significantly increasing deal flow and revenues, developing an infrastructure to scale operations, and establishing relationships for recurring business with major strategic partners.

Rick also has considerable experience in financing and exit transactions for technology ventures as a result of his work as a partner in the Silicon Valley office of Heller Ehrman and as a consultant to technology startups and investors.

Rick has an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a BA from the University of Rochester.