Who We Are

Erich Spangenberg

CEO

Erich Spangenberg is a serial entrepreneur and industry luminary in the patent business. He founded IPNav, a pioneer and leader in patent monetization, a company that generated over half a billion dollars in licensing, settlement, or enforcement revenues for its clients. He’s a former investment banker (Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette) and corporate lawyer (partner at Jones Day).

Pascal Asselot

Managing Director

Prior to joining IPwe, Pascal co-founded France Brevets where he led the licensing and development group for the first sovereign patent fund in Europe. His experience with France Brevets and Technicolor has given him deep connections in the IP world in the EU and Asia. Pascal’s focus is on global operations, patent owner relationships, and new risk management product offerings.

Dan Bork

CTO

Dan Bork has been the primary architect of Zuse Analytics for the past 10 years. Dan has been working with a team of data scientists since the late 1990’s solving highly complex problems. Dan’s focus is on Zuse Analytics and architecting IPwe’s public and private blockchain solutions.

George Karypis

Chief Scientist

Professor George Karypis is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and an ADC Chair of Digital Technology in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. George is a globally recognized expert in big data, PA and AI—all of which are critical to Zuse Analytics. George’s focus is on solving new and interesting problems using computerized analytics.

Vincent Fitzsimmons

Chief Operating Officer

Vince comes to IPwe from CPA Global, a leader in the IP Management space, where he spent seven years driving global strategy, sales and operations performance. During this time, Vince spent over two years resident in Hong Kong, where he co-lead the launch of Asian operations and the acquisition of key regional accounts. Vince has an impressive track record in guiding organizations through periods of hypergrowth and a wealth of knowledge and experience from across the Global IP ecosystem. Vince is responsible for scaling IPwe’s operations and sales and expanding its presence globally.

Henry Wang

President (IPwe China)

Henry is a seasoned tech entrepreneur.  He has co-founded and managed & operated over 7 companies, most of which have received national recognition and substantial fundraising from top VC and Angel Investor firms. Henry’s management experience is informed by over 16 years of business and technology experience in the areas of IP monetization, data-driven localization, technology service outsourcing, and tech communications related education training.  Henry has worked and consulted for large U.S. and European tech companies based in China and leveraged his knowledge of the Chinese market to analyze IP asset portfolios, managing competitive intelligence programs, and supporting IP business development and sales.

Strategically associated with the Chinese financial communities, universities, thinktanks, and government & regulatory bodies, Henry is frequently sought after as an advisor to foreign investors and entities looking to enter the Chinese market, providing valuable insight, connections, and opportunities.

Michael Greisler

EVP of Marketing

Michael is recognized for leading programs focused on brand management, marketing and public relations. As customer experience expectations rise, Michael’s focus will be delivering true, authentic value of IPwe’s Platform globally and linking the innovations of the products to the customer-focused operations of the business units to build the IPwe global brand, create consumer awareness and advocacy, and drive customer preference for the brand through all channels every day.

Michael joined IPwe in June of 2018 to take on the newly created EVP Marketing role. He previously served as VP, Senior Marketing Communications Manager of Sterling National Bank and other lead marketing roles at EY, Dun & Bradstreet and Chase Bank.

Christal Sheppard

EVP of Strategy and Business Development

Prior to joining IPwe, Professor Dr. A. Christal Sheppard was the first Director of the first United States Patent and Trademark Office regional office. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Nebraska, teaching Patent Law and International I.P. Dr. Sheppard has an M.S. and Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Cornell University Law School. She has almost three decades of IP law and policy experience including as a practicing attorney at Foley & Lardner and the US International Trade Commission.

Viktoriya Koreneva

Managing Director, Patent Financing

Viktoriya has been leading high-profile structured finance engagements with major global investment banks and Fortune 100 companies. With over 13 years of domestic and international experience in securitization, risk management and regulatory compliance, Viktoriya’s expertise includes extensive knowledge of debt financing, waterfall analysis and investor reporting on traditional and esoteric asset-backed securities.  Viktoriya leads patent financing and contributes to the further advancement in the collateralizing of intellectual property assets as well as new blockchain solutions.

Bob Witkow

Business Development

With much of his work focused on intellectual property as capital, since 2003, Bob has been focused on strategic marketing and corporate development in the high-tech space. He joins IPwe focused on developing and driving new engagements to success. Bob is an inventor and patent holder, and a testifying expert witness in IP cases, recognized for his expertise on memory semiconductor markets.

Brian Berman

Head of International Partnerships

Brian Berman has a deep understanding of the patent ecosystem as a former Patent Examiner and previous executive positions he has held where he had extensive interaction with global patent owners and national patent offices. He has been involved in blockchain projects since 2015. Brian’s mission is to educate and inform the market on the Global Patent Registry, Zuse Analytics and the IPwe Platform.

Sai Chen

Senior Software Engineer

Sai Chen is an expert on software and database management. Sai studied under George Karypis for her master’s degree in Computer Science after obtaining her B.E. degree in Automation from the University of Science and Technology of China. Sai has been part of the development of Zuse Analytics for the past 10 years and this continues to be her focus.