Once Upon A Startup

Raul Diaz Morales of Ona Patents is back to chat with us about patents and trade secrets, valuation, damages, litigation and all the IP related fun stuff.

Raul Diaz Morales of Ona Patents is back again and this time we are not host and guest anymore. It is a conversation about damages, strategy, patents, tradesecrets and all the exciting topics related to Intellectual Property.

Today, I’m joined by Steve Hershberger- an entrepreneur, innovator, and endurance athlete with a story that’s nothing short of extraordinary.

Steve has built and led companies across technology, analytics, and manufacturing, and he holds 13 U.S. patents in IoT and decision science. His work has always been about one thing: transforming insights into growth strategies and unlocking new, sustainable profit pools.

But Steve’s journey goes deeper. Over the years, he’s studied what really drives human and organizational Flow and from that, he developed the S.E.A.T. process for Organizational Flow™.

Outside of business, Steve is an endurance athlete who has competed in some of the toughest gravel cycling races across North America and Iceland. And it was on that path that life threw him its greatest challenge. In May 2024, just days before the legendary Unbound 200, Steve was the victim of a hit-and-run that stopped his vitals for several minutes. He came back from a near-death experience with a broken back, broken neck, and a dozen other injuries.

And yet here he is. His recovery and resilience fuel the way he now teaches and leads: helping organizations disrupt the static that short-circuits Flow, shift from “can’t” to “possible,” and build cultures of high performance.

This is more than entrepreneurship. It’s about survival, purpose, and unlocking Flow in business and in life.

Today I have with me Alfredo Mathew III—a social entrepreneur, educator, and systems thinker who has spent more than 25 years at the intersection of education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

Alfredo began as a public school teacher in the South Bronx, Oakland, and Pasadena—so dedicated to his students that he was named Teacher of the Year back in 2003. From there, he moved into building bridges between classrooms and careers, leading the Bay Area office of the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship and connecting thousands of young people to Silicon Valley pathways.

He went on to co-found ESO Ventures, an organization that didn’t just support entrepreneurs but actually changed state law in California to fund inclusive entrepreneurship. In just four years, ESO helped incubate over 500 Black and Brown-owned businesses and secured tens of millions in investment for community-rooted enterprises.

Today, Alfredo is the Founder and CEO of SPCC.1—the world’s first Shared Prosperity Community Corporation. His vision is bold: to create a new kind of economic infrastructure where communities can consolidate small businesses, access growth capital, and build their own engines of shared prosperity.

He’s also a TEDx speaker, where he calls for nothing less than sovereign wealth for the people and an economy that is truly owned by the communities it serves.

I’m excited to dive into this conversation with Alfredo, because it’s not just about entrepreneurship—it’s about rewriting the rules of who gets to participate and who gets to own the future.

Welcome to another episode of Once Upon A Startup.

Today, we’re tackling a question every founder faces at some point: what do you patent, and what do you keep as a trade secret?

To explore this, I’m joined by two amazing IP professionals.

Melanie Müller specializes in trademarks and unfair competition law—she helps companies protect their brands, whether that’s through getting trademarks registered, enforcing them in court, or defending against unfair competition claims.

Nisha Gera focuses on patent litigation, especially in the pharmaceutical space, where she’s handled high-stakes cases under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Her background spans biotechnology, health law, IP and competition law, and she’s even worked with UNITAID and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition.

Together, we’re going to dig into how startups can make smart choices about their IP—when it makes sense to file a patent, and when it’s better to keep your innovation a secret.

Bryan Yates is the founder of Locomotiv Coaching, where he trains insanely capable people—people who are not stuck because they lack talent, but because they’re still relying on old instincts that no longer serve them.

Bryan doesn’t talk about productivity hacks or promise transformation. What he offers is what he calls a Strategic Reset—a way to help high performers access the gears they already have but rarely use.

His work is shaped by three very different worlds:

Listening deeply through his years of Holocaust testimony work

Training precisely, with insights from competitive cycling

And leading sustainably, through production experience at Disney

Our conversation today is about performance without burnout, rewiring without self-help platitudes, and finding your way back to clarity—not by doing more, but by noticing better.

My guest today is someone who’s not just seen the evolution of intellectual property law—he’s helped shape it across continents.

Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar is a European Patent Attorney based in Munich, and a Partner at Boehmert & Boehmert. He holds a PhD in physics and teaches IP law at the University of Bremen, Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, and the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center. He’s also a Visiting Professor at universities across Asia and the U.S.

He’s a past president of LES International, an IAM Hall of Fame inductee, and a name that regularly appears on global IP expert lists. His recent work includes co-editing Trade Secrets Throughout the World and contributing to the Modern Guide to Patents—so when he speaks about the interface between patents and trade secrets, people across law, academia, and industry listen.

In this conversation, we explore how trade secrets can complement patent protection, especially in a world where litigation is long, enforcement is patchy, and speed to market matters. It’s a practical, strategic, and global view on how companies—especially startups—can protect what makes them valuable.

In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into the world of patent monetization—a space where innovation meets strategy, and where ideas can become assets, or just... paperwork.

I’m joined by Raoul Diaz Morales, founder of Ona Patents and a seasoned telecommunications engineer with years of experience turning patents into real-world value. Raoul isn't just a technical expert—he's a strategist who understands what makes a patent work in the business world.

In our conversation, we break down:

• What makes a patent effective beyond just being granted,

• The real process behind patent monetization, and

• The common misconceptions patent holders have that can cost them dearly.

Whether you’re a founder with a provisional draft or a seasoned patent holder wondering why your portfolio isn’t paying off—this episode is for you.

Let’s get started.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Once Upon A Startup! You know I love bringing you founders and creators who challenge the status quo, and today’s guest is no exception.

Meet Christopher Sellers—a creative genius, entrepreneur, and author who doesn’t just think outside the box… he redesigns the whole damn thing. He’s the kind of person who looks at a problem and sees opportunity, someone who has built a career proving that innovation isn’t about resources—it’s about mindset.

Christopher has already made waves with his first book, and now he’s gearing up to release his second, Why Smart People Aren’t Creative—a title that already has me hooked. We’ll talk about what holds people back from true creativity, how he’s built a business around pushing boundaries, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

So if you’ve ever felt like you have big ideas but struggle to bring them to life, or if you just love hearing from people who challenge the way we think, stick around—this is going to be a great one. Let’s dive in!

In this edition of Once Upon A Startup, I’m thrilled to introduce someone who has been transforming the way organizations think about intellectual property and innovation: Sam Zellner.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-zellner-ip

Sam’s journey is inspiring. He’s an IP strategist and innovation leader who has completely redefined how intellectual property can drive business success. Instead of treating IP as just a supporting function, Sam has positioned it as a key player in shaping strategies and achieving growth.

Through his work with InspireIP and PQAI, Sam is helping businesses unlock their full inventive potential. InspireIP (inspireip.com) is a game-changer—a user-friendly platform that makes capturing and managing ideas so much simpler. It helps teams streamline their invention processes and ensure innovations align with what the business truly needs.

Then there’s PQAI (projectpq.ai), an AI-powered prior art search engine that takes the guesswork—and a lot of the time-consuming effort—out of patent searches. It provides smart, precise results, making life so much easier for inventors and IP professionals alike.

Sam’s vision is clear: innovation should be accessible to everyone. He’s helping businesses capture more ideas, refine them, and turn them into assets that fuel growth and safeguard their futures.

I’m so excited to dive into Sam’s journey, the story behind these groundbreaking tools, and how they’re helping organizations embrace innovation like never before. Stay tuned—you’re about to meet someone who’s making waves in the world of IP and innovation!