Executive Takes Key Role at USC Stevens

March 27, 2007

Technology development expert will help faculty, researchers and students take ideas to market

Joseph Koepnick former CEO of Stanford spinout Staccato Systems Inc. and longtime senior licensing associate at Stanford's office of technology licensing, has joined the USC Stevens Institute for Technology Commercialization as director of licensing. He will oversee intellectual property licensing throughout USC.

"Joe is not only a leading expert in licensing but has firsthand experience in creating a company from university research," said Krisztina Holly, vice provost and executive director of USC Stevens. "With Joe on board in this important role, we now have the leadership to become one of the nation's best teams to help faculty, researchers and students take their ideas to market."

A graduate of the Ohio Institute of Technology with a degree in electronic engineering, Koepnick has been involved in early stage technology development and licensing for more than 25 years.

"USC's $432 million in research grants is among the richest pipelines for innovation today," Koepnick said. "And not just in the areas of engineering and science but in diverse areas such as cinema-television, music, education, dentistry and the arts. It's exciting to be part of the founding team at USC Stevens and to help build such an innovative commercialization institute."

Koepnick, who started Sept. 5, joins four other newly hired staff members in the areas of licensing, systems/IT and operations. Arnel Mendoza, formerly the head of information technology at the USC School of Dentistry, has joined as systems and technology director and will oversee both the day-to-day IT systems of USC Stevens as well as developing and implementing a strategy for using technology to improve efficiency, collaboration, and outreach. Bonnie Phan has joined the team as licensing/marketing specialist to support licensing activities in the areas of biomedical innovations and life sciences. Gretchen Villaluz-Picazo comes from the Electrical Engineering Systems in the USC Viterbi School to join the team as office manager, and Nikki Berhane, from the Tomas Riviera Policy Institute in the USC School of Policy Planning and Development, has been hired as the budget and business analyst.

Five positions are still open at the moment, and within 12 to 18 months, the new organization will offer more than 25 staff members who can assist faculty and students to make societal impact with their innovations through licensing and start-ups.

In the 1980s, as a research and development engineer at Stanford's Center for Integrated Electronics in Medicine, Koepnick helped design totally implantable biotelemetry systems, which were used in research animals to measure EKG, temperature, strain, blood flow and blood oxygen saturation. The remotely activated units aided researchers studying the effects of drugs for the treatment of cancer, heart disease and back strain.

Later as the senior licensing associate at the Stanford Office of Technology Licensing, Koepnick oversaw licensing for aerospace and astrophysics inventions and music technology, including the then second-largest money generating innovation ever for the office, FM synthesis. It was the basis for Yamaha's DX7, the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Koepnick also handled a variety of robotics, software and integrated circuit processes and devices.

Koepnick was responsible for Stanford's first IP license that included an equity component, as well as the fundamental data encryption patents that were licensed in partnership with RSA Data Security, Cylink, Public Key Partners and MIT. In addition, he was responsible for the patenting and licensing of the fundamental DSL patents that were used to establish the DSL standard through a license the start-up Amati, which was subsequently acquired by TI.

In 1995, after eight years at Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing, Koepnick founded the spinout company Staccato Systems, where he served as CEO until it was purchased by Analog Devices in 2001.

Staccato developed the product currently known as SoundMAX, a high-performance Windows-based audio solution and helped drive down the price of sound cards from several hundred dollars to less than a dollar by replacing numerous chips with software.