Raising the Standard for Excellence in Innovation

David Rikkers, President of Expedited Climb Capital

David Rikkers is President of Expedited Climb Capital, a venture capital firm focused on technology development in the aerospace and defense industry.  Prior to this role, he started and led an IP monetization team that sourced and executed deals valued over $1.5 billion in aerospace and defense.  David began his career as an Air Force officer, leading radar and other electronic technology development efforts.  

David is a recognized thought leader in intellectual property.  In addition to his current work on the Board of Directors of the ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization of the Licensing Executives Society, he previously served as chair of the IP Committee of the Aerospace Industries Association and on the U.S. Navy Data Rights Tiger Team established by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.  He served as policy lead for government procurement IP issues at a major defense contractor.  He is a speaker at events hosted by organizations including the National Defense Industrial Association and Intellectual Property Owners Association.  He authored the chapter on Working with Government in the book, Intellectual Property Operations and Implementation in the 21st Century Corporation, J. Wiley & Sons (2011).

David has over two decades of experience as IP counsel.  He continues to serve clients through the Rikkers Technology Law firm, www.datarights.law, and has counseled clients on government contracting, corporate transactions, acquisitions, IP strategies, transactions and litigation.  Litigation matters include disputes involving intellectual property issues in government contracting, as well as patents and trademarks.  He has managed patent portfolios of thousands of cases, while personally drafting over 200 patents.  He also served as the General Counsel for Advanced Technology and an engineering function of 15,000 engineers, with customers and suppliers in 50+ countries and $16 billion in annual revenue.  Early in his career, he served as an intern for Judge Newman at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and a law clerk in the office of the General Counsel of the Air Force, Acquisition.

David received a B.S., ME, from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. 

Founder & CEO at Avasta Inc – delivering solutions on how to identify, measure and report on corporate value drivers in the 21st century. Published author of multiple global ISO and ANSI brand & intangible asset measurement standards. Worked with executive leadership and boards at Cirque du Soleil, Deloitte, Intuit, Informatica, Walmart, and Silicon Valley Bank on strategic measurement, business valuation and customer acquisition strategies. Developing the industry’s first SaaS platform for measuring future financial value of intangible assets, intellectual capital and customer value. Graduate Lecturer on the Finance of Brand Management at the University of Toronto since 2014.

Jeff Bartholomew, Shareholder with Robinson Waters & O'Dorisio, P.C.

Jeff Bartholomew is a Shareholder with Robinson Waters & O'Dorisio, P.C., a law firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado.  During his legal career of more than 30 years, Jeff has advised businesses from startup and emerging growth companies to multinational corporations on such matters as SEC reporting, capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property protection and licensing.

Jeff is Chair of the LES committee developing an ANSI standard for Intellectual Capital Management by Startup Enterprises and is a frequent speaker on topics such as SEC compliance and reporting, intellectual property protection, M&A, and the intersection of antitrust law and IP.

Prior to going to law school, Jeff was a research engineer at Johns-Manville Corporation, where he received an award recognizing his outstanding efforts and contributions to the company.

With a degree in computer science, Joe has carefully followed the recent proliferation of artificial intelligence, machine learning and block chain technologies and how different IP regimes can protect these technologies.  

Joe’s 20+ year career is highlighted by his work as lead counsel in hard-fought patent litigations throughout the US and in Patent Office proceedings. As the leader of Wiggin and Dana’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, he advises clients on patent office disputes, complex licensing, patent monetization, patent portfolio development, and worldwide intellectual property strategic matters.

His experience includes over 150 patent cases in a variety of high-tech fields, including consumer tech, electronics, aerospace, computers, hybrid electric vehicles, semiconductors, smart phones, medical devices, and batteries. Examples include Lufthansa Technik AG v. Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corp., Case No. 2:14-CV-1821 (W.D. Wash.), an avionics industry case where Joe led the patent team to a successful claim construction and summary judgment of patent indefiniteness, which was affirmed on appeal; and Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson and Co., Case No. 3:05-CV 3117 (N.D. Calif.), a medical-device case where Joe’s client obtained a successful summary judgment on one patent and a verdict of invalidity/inequitable conduct on a second patent, including an award of attorneys’ fees, setting the current standards for inequitable conduct through an en banc appeal.

His knowledge spans all aspects of IP law, including litigation, licensing, opinions, and prosecution. His work has earned him industry recognition, being named one of the world’s leading IP strategists by IAM Strategy 300, as well as Super Lawyer honors. Joe has been the lead negotiator for license and cross-license discussions involving some of the largest patent portfolios. Joe is Secretary for the Licensing Executives Society standard-setting program for developing an ANSI standard of best practices for licensing negotiations.

Joe received his J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School, where he was an editor for the Brooklyn Journal of International Law and received various academic awards. He earned a B.S. cum laude in computer science from Brooklyn College.

Julia Klaren is an Associate Director of Intellectual Capital (IC) Management at Collins Aerospace.  Julia has spent the last seventeen years at Collins Aerospace in IC focused business areas.  The last eleven years have been in the IC Management department at Collins Aerospace providing support to the Business Units on IC valuation, IC protection and management, JV creation and IC acquisition and divestiture and business process for IC focused transactions.  

Prior to her experience at Collins Aerospace Julia has worked in Banking, Finance, Publishing and Telecommunications in various roles including time working in some startup companies.

Julia holds a B.A. in Accounting from Boston College and an M.B.A. from University of Iowa.

Nick is an accomplished corporate leader and a Retired Senior Principal at Deloitte who focused on providing Financial & Risk Advisory Services. He advised entities on matters of financial analysis and risk in areas such as M&A, joint ventures, reorganizations, intellectual property protection and monetization, and supply chain and operational risk. Nick gained perspective on board governance and business acumen from diverse experiences serving on a business unit board and various operating committees at Deloitte, COO of its Financial & Risk Advisory practice, a financial transaction and risk expert for Private, Public and Private Equity firms, and as a military commander and working engineer. He is a Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors and serves on the Program Committee of the SF Chapter of the Private Directors Association. He also holds the CMMC-AB Registered Practitioner (RP) designation.

As business unit leader, Nick held revenue generation, growth and market development responsibilities, talent development and succession planning, and client satisfaction accountability. He led the strategy for three successful service offerings: construction advisory, commercial M&A due diligence and integrated transaction valuation. As a military officer, Regional Managing Principal (RMP), and COO, he oversaw the turnaround, revitalization, and transformation of various business units that exceeded their plan with a strategy for future growth and succession.

From a consulting perspective, Nick has advised public and private companies, and private equity in M&A transaction structuring, valuation, negotiations, due diligence, intellectual property assessment, financial analysis, dispute resolution and litigation support. He held national leadership roles in the aerospace & defense, and hospitality and gaming industries, and also served companies in the real estate, industrial products, technology and consumer industries.

Nicole Galli, Founder and Managing Member of ND Galli Law LLC

Nicole D. Galli is the founder and Managing Member of ND Galli Law LLC, an intellectual property (IP) focused boutique law firm located in Philadelphia and New York that provides business law, IP and litigation services to emerging growth and large company clients.  Nicole’s practice focuses on commercial and IP litigation, IP and business counseling and trade secrets.  Nicole is also the founder and President of Women Owned Law (WOL), the first national organization dedicated to empowering, supporting and advancing women entrepreneurs in the law. In addition to her client work, Nicole is involved in several national initiatives around effective trade secrets management, including serving as a Vice Chair of IP Protection in the Supply Chain Committee for the LES Standards Setting Project, focused on developing ANSI “best practices” standards for managing IP (especially trade secrets) in a supply chain and serves on the Sedona Conference Working Group on Trade Secrets (WG12) Steering Committee and co-chairs the Sedona WG12 sub-team on the governance and management of trade secrets (Team 5).  Nicole is a frequent speaker, author and thought leader on issues impacting women attorneys and entrepreneurs, as well as on various legal topics including intellectual property strategy, trade secrets protection and litigation, trademark, copyright and patent law and litigation, commercial litigation best practices and procedural matters, and litigation financing, among others.  She has also been recognized for her legal work including being selected as one of the 2019 Philadelphia Inquirer’s Influencers of Law and Philadelphia Business Journal’s Best of the Bar in IP Litigation.  Nicole was also included in the 27th and 28th Editions of The Best Lawyers in America© for 2021 and 2022, respectively, in Patent Law. 

Paul Roberts, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Eclipz

Paul Roberts is Eclipz' Chief Intellectual Property Officer and Board Secretary, and Acting-General Counsel.  Prior to joining Eclipz, Paul was in London as the Head of Commercial IP Strategy directly advising the c-suite of British American Tobacco, as well as a founder and lead business negotiator of BAT's newly formed Ventures group.   Prior to that, Paul was a lead business negotiator for tech/IP deals at General Electric (GE) Ventures. 

As a practicing patent attorney, Paul has been head of patent operations at two fortune 500 companies (Accenture and MCI/WorldCom ), where he led large internal teams and worldwide networks of outside counsels.  He was also co-founder of two start-ups as their Chief IP Officer and as Chief Patent Counsel.  Paul has served as VP of Patent Commercialization of Rovi’s (now Tivo/Xperi) patent licensing operation.  And early in his career, Paul worked at a large multinational law firm (McDermott Will & Emery), after he was originally a USPTO Patent Examiner.

Paul is currently the founder and chair of the "Licensing Executives Society" (an intellectual property professional association) committee on Intellectual Capital Assets in the Boardroom. He was on the Licensing Executives Society board directors of US-Canada for 15 years in roles including Board (general) Counsel, Board Secretary, and Head of Strategy.   Paul has also: (a) achieved “fellowship” status with the National Association of Corporate (Board) Directors;  and (b) completed training at the Stanford Law (Board) Directors’ College.

Ron Laurie, Managing Director, Inflexion Point Strategy
Executive Chair and CIPO, InventionShare

Ron Laurie has worked in Silicon Valley since before it had that name, initially as a systems engineer at Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., then as an intellectual property lawyer at several major law firms, and most recently as an IP investment banking advisor focused on extracting maximum value from “intellectual capital” assets in complex corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, technology spin-outs and multi-party joint venture relationships.

As a lawyer, Ron was a founding partner of the Silicon Valley offices of Weil Gotshal, Irell & Manella and Skadden Arps. At Skadden, he founded and chaired the firm's IP Strategy and Transactions practice group and led IP teams in high-tech and life science deals worth over $50 billion in the aggregate. He has taught patent and IP strategy courses at Stanford and UC-Berkeley law schools. 

In 2004, Ron retired from Skadden to launch Inflexion Point Strategy, the first IP-focused boutique investment banking advisory firm.  With offices in Silicon Valley, and affiliates in Toronto, Taiwan and Singapore, Inflexion Point advises technology companies and institutional investors around the world in acquiring, divesting and investing in IP-rich companies, business units, technologies, and strategic intellectual capital assets in the form of patent portfolios, exclusive field-of-use rights, and related know-how and data.

Ron is also the Executive Chairman and CIPO of InventionShare, Inc., a new kind of early-stage technology investment fund that transforms breakthrough inventions into globally deployed innovation with high social impact. 

Ron served as an independent board member at Wi-LAN, Inc., one of the oldest and most successful publicly-traded patent licensing companies for six years.  He chaired the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society and served on the advisory boards of the Hoover Institution Working Group on Intellectual Property, Innovation, and Prosperity (IP2) at Stanford and the Certified Patent Valuation Analyst program. He has been listed as one of the world’s leading IP strategists by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine every year since the listing was created.