Former CEO of Stanford Spinout to Lead Technology Licensing for USC Stevens

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 the University of Southern California.

“Joe is not only a leading expert in licensing but has first-hand 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 started September 5 and joins four other new staff members in the areas of licensing, systems/IT, and operations. Within 12-18 months, the new organization will offer more than 25 staff that can assist faculty and students to make societal impact with their innovations through licensing and startups.

In the 1980s, as a research and development engineer at Stanford’s Center for Integrated Electronics in Medicine (CIEM), 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. The company 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.

Koepnick is a certified flight instructor and avid guitarist. He is married and has two daughters.

About USC Stevens
USC Stevens empowers faculty and students at the University of Southern California to make greater impact with their innovations. A high-profile and dynamic institute established earlier this year within the Provost’s office, USC Stevens is the central resource for faculty intellectual property development and licensing, start-up mentoring, and venture capital outreach for USC’s college, its 17 professional schools, and its research programs. USC Stevens also provides a central connection for industry on the outside looking for cutting edge innovations in which to invest. The institute was created with a naming gift from USC alumnus and trustee Mark A. Stevens, a partner at the legendary Sequoia Capital venture capital firm, and his wife, Mary.

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Contact: Tracy Olmstead Williams, (310) 396-2400 or twilliams@cswpr.com