Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersRedwood City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing
- Legal name
- The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
- Website
- https://otl.stanford.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redwood City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Technology Licensing Royalties: OTL generates revenue through licensing Stanford inventions to companies and startups. The office negotiates license agreements that generate royalties and other fees, which are used to support Stanford's research and education.
- Unrestricted Income Generation: The office generates unrestricted income from licensing activities that supports research and education at Stanford University.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) manages the intellectual property assets of Stanford University by evaluating, protecting, and licensing inventions arising from Stanford research to industry partners and startups. The office operates the TechFinder online catalog of available technologies, negotiates license agreements, and runs the High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund to accelerate commercialization of early-stage research in life sciences, physical sciences, and sustainability.
Product overview
Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) is a technology transfer office that provides a platform of licensing and commercialization services rather than a single product. The core offerings include TechFinder (an online catalog for browsing available Stanford technologies), the High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund (seed funding and advisory support for early-stage research commercialization), and the Industrial Contracts Office (ICO) for research agreements. OTL connects researchers, startups, and industry partners through its technology licensing services, with specialized portfolios covering Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Sustainability technologies. The organization facilitates the transfer of Stanford innovations to the marketplace for public benefit while generating income to support Stanford research and education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TechFinder Catalog Online catalog that allows companies to browse and search Stanford technologies available for licensing, with curated collections in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and COVID-19.
- High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund Seed funding program providing funding, advisory support, and entrepreneurial education to help transition early-stage Stanford research from the lab to the marketplace across Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Sustainability portfolios.
- Industrial Contracts Office (ICO) Unit within OTL that reviews, negotiates, and signs research-related agreements on behalf of Stanford with industry collaborators, including Sponsored Research Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Collaboration Agreements, Data Use Agreements, Equipment Loan Agreements, and Industrial Affiliate Program Agreements.
- Technology Licensing Services Services for licensing Stanford technologies to industry, including step-by-step licensing process guidance and business development support to connect companies with relevant technologies, with a 2-3 month marketing period before licenses are granted.
Companies that use Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TenU Technology Transfer ConsortiumcoreTenU is an international collaboration of technology transfer offices from leading universities including Stanford, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, Columbia, Edinburgh, KU Leuven, Manchester, and UCL. The consortium captures and shares effective practices in research commercialisation with governments and higher education communities to increase societal impact of research.
- Sarafan ChEM-HcoreStanford Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology (ChEM-H) collaborates with OTL on events and programs for Stanford innovators, including co-sponsoring 'From Innovation to Impact' overview sessions.
- Industrial Contracts Office (ICO)coreICO is a unit within OTL responsible for reviewing, negotiating, and signing research-related agreements on behalf of Stanford with industry collaborators, including Sponsored Research Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Collaboration Agreements, and Industry Affiliate Programs.
- Osage University PartnersminorOUP partners with OTL to provide educational seminars for Stanford startups on topics including venture capital investment decisions, company formation, and capital considerations.
- Stanford HIT Fund (High Impact Technology Fund)coreThe HIT Fund helps accelerate the transition of Stanford technologies from the lab to the marketplace through seed funding, advisory support, and entrepreneurial education. It covers Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Sustainability portfolios with multiple startups.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UCL Business (UCLB): UCLB is the technology transfer arm of University College London and a TenU consortium co-member. Same licensing model, same European university setting, comparable life sciences and physical sciences portfolio breadth.
- MIT Technology Licensing Office: MIT TLO is the most direct comparable — a peer top-tier university technology transfer office managing MIT's IP portfolio across life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. Both offices operate under Bayh-Dole with similar missions, royalty-driven economics, and serve Fortune 500 licensees.
- Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF): WARF is one of the oldest and largest university-affiliated patent licensing organizations in the US, founded 1925 to commercialize University of Wisconsin–Madison research. Directly comparable business model: owns and licenses patents, generates royalty income to fund university research.
- Oxford University Innovation: Oxford University Innovation is the technology transfer company of the University of Oxford and a TenU consortium co-member with Stanford OTL. Directly comparable scope, royalty model, and lifecycle stage.
- Cambridge Enterprise: Cambridge Enterprise is the University of Cambridge's technology transfer office and a TenU consortium co-member. Directly comparable in mission, licensing model, and global licensee relationships.
- Columbia Technology Ventures: Columbia Technology Ventures manages Columbia University's IP portfolio and is a TenU consortium co-member. Operates the same patent licensing and startup formation model as Stanford OTL across life sciences, engineering, and physical sciences.
- Imperial College Innovations (now Imperial College London Industry Partnerships and Ventures): Imperial College London's tech transfer office and TenU consortium co-member. Comparable IP licensing and startup creation model with a heavy physical-sciences and engineering tilt.
- KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD): KU Leuven LRD is the technology transfer office of KU Leuven and a TenU consortium co-member. Directly comparable patent licensing and startup formation operations, particularly strong in materials science and engineering.
- University of Manchester Innovation Factory: The University of Manchester's tech transfer office and a TenU consortium co-member. Operates the same IP licensing model with comparable scope across physical and life sciences.
- Edinburgh Innovations: Edinburgh Innovations is the University of Edinburgh's technology transfer office and a TenU consortium co-member. Directly comparable in IP licensing model and lifecycle.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing social profiles
Digital presenceStanford University Office of Technology Licensing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing
What does Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing do?
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) manages the intellectual property assets of Stanford University by evaluating, protecting, and licensing inventions arising from Stanford research to industry partners and startups. The office operates the TechFinder online catalog of available technologies, negotiates license agreements, and runs the High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund to accelerate commercialization of early-stage research in life sciences, physical sciences, and sustainability.
Is Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing a public or private company?
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing founded?
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing was founded in 1970. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing based?
Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing is headquartered in Redwood City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Technology Licensing Royalties are the primary driver. The others are unrestricted Income Generation.
Who are Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UCL Business (UCLB), MIT Technology Licensing Office, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Oxford University Innovation, Cambridge Enterprise, Columbia Technology Ventures, Imperial College Innovations (now Imperial College London Industry Partnerships and Ventures), KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD), University of Manchester Innovation Factory and Edinburgh Innovations.
Does Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing.