Kirsten Leute is Partner, University Relations at Osage University Partners (OUP), a venture capital firm that invests in deep science startups out of academic research institutions. In leading University Relations for OUP, Kirsten is responsible for the relationships with approximately 100 academic institutions that are partnered with the fund, engaging potential new partner institutions, and creating and delivering value-add programs for the partnered academic institutions and their entrepreneurs.

Kirsten is an experienced technology transfer professional, having spent 19 years in technology transfer at Stanford University and the German Cancer Research Center. Prior to joining OUP, she was Associate Director at Stanford’s Office of Technology Licensing. Over her career at Stanford, she managed portfolios of inventions in most technology areas, but concentrated in biotechnology.

Kirsten continues to be actively involved in technology transfer and university startups outside her daily work. She leads OUP’s efforts in working on Equalize, a virtual mentor program and pitch competition designed to take national action around the disparity of women academic inventors forming university startups, that was started by Washington University in St. Louis.

She is currently on advisory boards for the University of Michigan, University of Arizona, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Brown University technology commercialization offices, is an Adcom member for America’s Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR out of NSF), is a former board member of Women in Bio, and is a former two-time board member for the Association of University Technology Managers.

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