Meet California brothers Jesse Sukman, CEO of ClearstoneIP, and COO Gabriel Sukman. The two co-founded ClearstoneIP in Sept. 2014; the company is based in Palo Alto. Jesse, 35, is based in Long Beach, Gabriel: 37, resides in Redwood Shores. Citizenships: U.S. They were among the presenters at CodeX’s Pavilion and “Lightning Round” panels during Legaltech New York 2016.

 

Social studies: twitter.com/clearstoneip.
linkedin.com/company/clearstoneip

Day jobs: Jesse is a Senior Patent Counsel at Cleveland Golf / Srixon, a sports equipment manufacturer. Past gig: Associate Attorney at Oliff.

Since January 2015 Gabriel has handled the day-to-day operations working full time for ClearstoneIP. He started his  legal career in Washington, D.C., in 2001 as a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. From 2005-2007, while in law school at night, Gabriel was a Patent Law Clerk at Paul Hastings, and became an associate upon graduation. He moved to Silicon Valley where he was an IP Litigation Associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (2012 to Jan. 2015.)

Education: Gabriel: Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 2007. Pennsylvania State University, B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2001. Admitted in. California, Virginia and Washington, D.C. USPTO Registered Patent Attorney.

Jesse: American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., 2008. Pennsylvania State University, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2002. Admitted in Virginia and California. USPTO Registered Patent Attorney.

Is this your first start-up? This is our first rodeo.

What problem does your startup solve? Global patent data is now widely available electronically—but there are millions of patents. Being able to accurately draw connections between the legal scopes of patents and the actual products—in a reasonable time frame— is a significant challenge. We make it possible.

Audience: Ultimately, anyone with a product or process in one hand and a stack of patents in the other hand, wondering what to do next. That includes law firms, small and large businesses, investors and individual inventors.  In-house legal teams have been the most responsive so far, as they most directly feel the pain of having to provide answers on IP risks and opportunities without breaking the bank. We are also working with forward-thinking law firms, though the general tendency for law firms is to adopt new technologies only as a result of pressure from their clients.

Is it on the market? Yes. The product is structured as a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform. We also offer database development services. Depending on the customer, we have structured pricing as an annual subscription rate or as pay-per-use.

How many partners, full-time and part time employees?  The founding team includes the two of us and CTO Joe Aliperti. We occasionally enlist the help of contractors to fill additional needs.

 

Does ClearstoneIP have any patents?  Yes, we have one issued patent (US 7,984,047) and several additional applications pending.

What inspired you to pursue this startup? Two things:
1) The belief that our approach is an inevitable step in the evolution of patent analysis.
2) Revulsion at the thought of watching someone else bring it to fruition.

Do you have funding? We initially bootstrapped our business and now operate from its revenue. We do anticipate a funding round in the near future.

Your biggest challenge: Bringing about a major shift in a very conservative industry. Conventionally, patent analysts are comfortable relying upon “seek and retrieve” types of searching; we provide an interactive index that can be used more like a menu. On top of that, we are using an elimination-based search process that is counter-intuitive to conventional thought. It is a legal innovation as much as a technological innovation, and is certainly a massive change.

 

What do you need right now? In six months? In a year?
• Right now: Continued growth of our market presence and traction with customers and strategic partners.
• Six months: Build on our core software platform, continue to lead thought toward its adoption, and expand use cases.
• In one year: Scale the product and business to meet demand.

What you have learned that you wish you knew five years ago: Not to be too reserved in judgment. We tend to be much more conservative in our decision-making than we should. Turns out, if you mean well, mistakes are often correctable and rarely lead to the worst case we imagined. The upside could be substantial. This is tricky for the lawyer-entrepreneur.

Advice for entrepreneurs: Having a good idea and having a good product are two different things—both are necessary for success. Put the appropriate time into making your product as intuitive and simple as possible, even the non-core aspects. A good idea will get their attention; ease of use will get the deal signed.

 

The book changed your life: Gabriel: The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus. As a first-year engineering student taking a philosophy elective on a lark, reading this essay fundamentally changed my view of the world and made philosophy as integral to my growth as was science. Jesse: Leviathan. It reminds us of the necessary connection between sovereign and human nature and to not take democracy for granted.

What are you afraid of? Jesse: Looking back when I’m older and not feeling like I lived life to its fullest. Gabriel: Technical issues during demo and pitch events.

What are you most proud of? Gabriel: Running three marathons, and particularly the New York marathon where lots of family members were able to come out for support. Jesse; Taking care of my responsibilities and still have time to read a bedtime story to my children, Eli and Carly.

Favorite vacation destination: Jesse: A ski-in/ski-out cabin at Mammoth. There’s nothing better than a day of carving up powder on a snowboard followed by warming my feet by the fire. Gabriel: Big Sur. The natural beauty of this place is so apparent, but also very complex. It makes the mind wonder endlessly. I’m also amazed that our society, for all its faults, managed to keep this incredible area so pristine and unspoiled.

Favorite musician: Jesse: Bob Dylan.  I admire that he never really tried to be emblematic of the culture of his time, yet never intentionally disregarded it. He was just Dylan. Gabriel: Changes constantly, from Pink Floyd to Arcade Fire to Chet Faker.

 

Favorite food: Jesse: I’m from New York: Pizza. Gabriel: Ramen Dojo in San Mateo.

Favorite quote: Gabriel: “There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.”— Friedrich Nietzsche. Jesse: “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

What’s your mantra? Jesse: Acceptable is not acceptable. Try to be awesome in everything you do. Gabriel: Breathe. Sometimes we just need a little reminder. I started using this during rock-climbing, and now use it all the time.

Who would you want sitting next to you if you’re stuck for three hours on the tarmac in a 737? Jesse:  Dave Chappelle.  He’d keep me in stitches and I wouldn’t have to think too much. Gabriel: Amy Schumer. There needs to be a careful balance between entertaining conversation and acknowledging the inherent awkwardness of having to sit next to a stranger for three hours, and I think she would strike it perfectly. (Photo from her website.)

 

 

Edited by Monica Bay, CodeX Fellow.  Do you have have a legal-focused startup? Ping me! Email: mbay@codex.stanford.edu. Twitter: @MonicaBay