Experts in Innovation

As a multidisciplinary team of licensing, patent, and venture experts, the Office of Innovation and New Ventures provides the strategic framework and industry connectivity necessary to transform Seattle Children’s intellectual property into lifesaving commercial realities.

Our Team

Jordan Summerside, MBA, associate vice president, Innovation and New Ventures

Jordan Summerside leads the Office of Innovation and New Ventures by directing the strategic development of company creation and commercialization initiatives at Seattle Children’s. He specializes in mission-aligned venture strategy, notably leading the operational spinout of BrainChild Bio. Previously, Jordan was executive director of Partnerships and Special Projects at Seattle Children’s.

Brian Phillips, PhD, director, intellectual property

Brian Phillips, PhD leads the development of strategies for academic-industry partnerships and IP development. He serves as an observer on the Board of Directors of Be Biopharma, Inc., (previously) GentiBio, Inc. and AdaptX, Inc., all Seattle Children’s start-ups. Previously, Phillips was Senior Licensing Manager at Baylor College of Medicine. Phillips has a BS in biology from the University of Houston and a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Eric Althoff, PhD, director, business development

Eric Althoff, PhD, supports cellular therapy and immune-oncology technologies and clinical trials. Althoff joined Seattle Children’s Therapeutics after working in business development at Arzeda, a University of Washington (UW) biotech spinout he co-founded. Althoff completed his PhD in chemistry at Columbia University and his postdoctoral fellowship in computational protein design at UW.

Andrea Beeks, patent and finance manager

Andrea Beeks is responsible for invention intake, federal reporting, and all financial matters related to the office. She has a BS in Hospitality Management from The Ohio State University (OSU) and worked at OSU’s Corporate Engagement Office as a fiscal officer, where she discovered a passion for technology transfer operations. In 2017, she became director of customer implementation for a software startup spun out of OSU that focused on providing IP management solutions for technology transfer offices.

Tandi Collisson, JD, senior business development manager

Tandi Collisson, JD, has negotiated technology license and collaborative research deals that include co-development agreements with CSL Behring and agreements that laid the foundation for companies such as Be Biopharma and GentiBio. She leads negotiations of other business-related contracts to facilitate the progress of research programs and commercialization efforts. Prior to her work in technology management, she worked at two life sciences companies. Collisson has a MS from UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she studied developmental neurobiology and molecular biology. She is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.

Edo Mwenda, PhD, business development associate

Edo Mwenda, PhD, is assists with commercializing technologies, protecting intellectual property, and facilitating market transfer and startup formation. Previously, he worked at Viksnins Harris Padys Malen LLP performing diligence on patent portfolios and drafting patent applications in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, and small drug molecules. He co-founded QC Medchain, a startup using blockchain for secure medicine distribution, obtaining $250,000 in non-dilutive funding from an NSF SBIR Phase I grant. Mwenda earned a BA from Macalester College and a PhD from the University of Iowa, both in chemistry.

Kamya Rajaram, PhD, business development manager

Kamya Rajaram, PhD is experienced in technology management, business development, contract negotiations, licensing, and commercialization. Rajaram obtained her PhD in biological sciences from Vanderbilt University, where she studied the role of microRNAs in retina regeneration. Prior to joining Seattle Children’s, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship exploring the role of the microenvironment in epithelial cancer initiation at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center.