Our team

We’re committed to helping you succeed.

Januk Aggarwal, M.Sc.

Director of Intellectual Property

Don Avery

IP Paralegal

Jordan Bell, Ph.D.

Director of Intellectual Property

Katherine (Katie) Grasso Bensalah, Ph.D.

Manager of Intellectual Property

Karintha (Kari) Washington

Executive Assistant and Office Manager

Augustine V. Cheng, J.D.

CEO and Chief Legal Officer

Krysta Flores

Project Coordinator

Todd Glenn, J.D.

General Counsel

Jovan Heusser, M.B.A.

Director of Licensing and Business Development

Ross Lemire, M.B.A.

Licensing and Business Development Associate

Charlie Lewis

Vice President of Venture Development and Physical Sciences

Jessica Mandl

Director of Operations and IP Paralegal

Mason McCarty, J.D.

Assistant General Counsel

Sammy Mikhail

Compliance and Agreement Specialist

Lisa Nolan

Senior Accountant

Nicole Reilly

Vice President of Finance and Human Resources

Kyle N. Siegal, M.S., J.D.

Executive Director and Chief Patent Counsel

Joynita Sur

Senior Associate, Licensing and Business Development

CJ Washington

IP Assistant

Shen Yan, J.D.

Director of Intellectual Property

Business development consultants

Michael J. Cleare, Ph.D.

Carlos Encinas, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Jack Geltosky, Ph.D.

Angel Stigen

Our Goal

Image of windmills

Our goal is the rapid and wide dissemination of ASU discoveries and inventions into the marketplace.

For this reason, Skysong Innovations was created as a separate corporate entity to act as a proxy for ASU, which substantially increases flexibility and speed in its deal-making and venturing activities.



Two people in a lab looking at a tablet

With the support of its entrepreneurial arm at Skysong Innovations, ASU has become one of the top-performing U.S. universities in terms of intellectual property inputs (inventions disclosed by ASU researchers) and outputs (licensing deals and start-ups).

Skysong Innovations was established in 2003 as an Arizona Limited Liability company, formerly known as AzTE. To date we have launched 180 startups, created more than 1,100 local jobs and generated over $108 million in state revenue.

Testimonials

When you look at the universities ASU ranked ahead of, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, you can go down the list, these are premier research universities and ASU has moved ahead of them. ASU has a top notch research apparatus in place, especially with President Michael Crow’s emphasis on research that doesn’t just advance scientific knowledge but also is relevant to the marketplace.

Ross DeVol Chief Research Officer at the Milken Institute

ASU ranked #11 for Innovation Impact Productivity among large, comprehensive research universities.

George W. Bush Institute The Innovation Impact of U.S. Universities

We appreciated in ASU a research team and a technology that did not just reflect the competence of the inventor, but their experience and their attitude towards industry.

Andrea Mills Zcube

ASU is absolutely a remarkable school for tech transfer.

Stuart Lindsay and Nadine and Edward Carson Regent’s Professor, Professor of physics and chemistry

Skysong Innovations is an invaluable resource for the broad spectrum and translational impact of our engineering faculty’s research. Their expertise and infrastructure is critical for us to determine potential commercial impact and further a culture of use-inspired research.

Kyle D. Squires Dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

It is a pleasure to work with the business development and patent professionals at Skysong Innovations. They are responsive to our needs, proactive in their thinking and transparent about the activities and decision-making processes related to commercializing ASU technologies.

Joshua LaBaer Executive Director and Professor, Biodesign Institute, ASU

ASU is #6 in technology transfer rankings for universities without a medical school (#21 overall).

Milken Institute Report, 2017

We have been quite fortunate to be able to work with world-class researchers at ASU focused on use-inspired research activities. Our team partners with industry and investors to execute rapid and efficient deals that aren’t bogged down by the typical institutional constraints.

Augustine Cheng Skysong Innovations CE

ASU and Mayo Clinic Clinic

ASU-Mayo MedTech Accelerator ASU-Mayo MedTech Accelerator

The ASU-Mayo MedTech Accelerator brings together the recognized world leader in patient care, education and research, with the nation’s No. 1 ranked university for innovation. Emerging companies are selected for strong potential for next-generation medical technologies/services undergo an immersive curriculum, followed by 12 months of close collaboration, guidance and tracking. Participants can access fast-track product development collaborations, research and clinical validation studies with Mayo Clinic and/or medical education and research through ASU.

MedTech Accelerator

Mayo-ASU Alliance

The recognized world leader in patient care, education and research. The nation’s most innovative university. Together, we are joining the brightest minds to accelerate cutting-edge research discoveries, improve patient care through health care innovation, and transform medical education to enhance health outcomes at individual, community and national levels.

One Alliance