Tech Launch Arizona with Rakhi Gibbons

On this episode of Tech Transfer IP, Lisa has the pleasure of speaking with Rakhi Gibbons, the Director of Licensing for Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) at the University of Arizona. Rakhi has over fifteen years of experience in the life sciences industry, from research to startup experience and university technology transfer. In her role as director, Rakhi oversees all licensing operations at TLA.

Throughout her history with TLA, Rakhi has worked closely with faculty and researchers, particularly in the Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC), and life sciences departments across the university overseeing intellectual property. Rakhi has a Master’s in Applied Biosciences from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rakhi shares what TLA does and how her office is structured, some programs her office supports and how many invention disclosures, patents issued, licenses and options and other metrics her office has had in the last few years. Even though 2020 was challenging with the pandemic, it was still the biggest year for startups that TLA has seen.

Rakhi believes that customer service and transparency in processes are most important in managing innovations to have the greatest opportunity for success. Rakhi also talks about their relationships with corporate partners and the role they play in TLA. Rakhi shares some of TLA’s biggest success stories like software that focuses on adverse drug interactions and a couple of their biggest challenges.

Listen as Rakhi talks about the programs they have in place to help encourage and assist women inventors and entrepreneurs, and the value she believes organizations like AUTM bring to Tech Transfer offices. To finish up Rakhi discusses three things she would wish for her office if she had a genie in a bottle.

In This Episode:

• [02:16] Welcome to the show, Rakhi!
• [02:34] Rakhi shares her background and her journey to TLA.
• [04:21] Rakhi speaks about TLA and how her office is structured.
• [07:10] Rakhi discusses how having a startup that has a business lead and not just a faculty lead makes a huge difference in the success of that startup.
• [09:01] Can you tell us how many invention disclosures, patents issued, licenses and options and other metrics your office has had in the last few years?
• [11:42] 2020 was TLA’s biggest year for startups.
• [12:56] Customer service and having transparency in their processes is what Rakhi believes is most important in managing innovations to have the greatest opportunity for success.
• [17:22] Rakhi shares some relationships with corporate partners and the role they play in Tech Transfer at TLA and the University of Arizona.
• [20:43] Rakhi discusses the University of Arizona’s ecosystem that provides university entrepreneurs and startups with important resources.
• [24:21] Can you share some of TLA’s biggest success stories in terms of successful technologies, startups, etc?
• [27:08] Rakhi discusses one of their most successful startups that focuses on adverse drug interactions.
• [30:04] Rakhi speaks about the programs they have to help encourage and assist women inventors and entrepreneurs.
• [33:22] Rakhi talks about her office’s two biggest challenges.
• [36:40] Rakhi shares the value she believes organizations like AUTM add.
• [37:52] Rakhi’s shares what she wishes for her office.
• [40:43] Thank you for being on the show!

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