Prior to joining the Open Invention Network, Mr. Bergelt served as president and CEO of two Hedge Funds – Paradox Capital and IPI – formed to unlock the considerable asset value of patents, trademarks, and copyrights in middle market companies. Paradox and IPI were the first Funds of their kind to offer specialty lending products supported exclusively by intellectual property. Driven by Mr. Bergelt’s creativity and entrepreneurial approach, these funds enabled the emergence of patents, trademarks, and copyrights as a viable source of collateral in asset-based loans, forever reshaping the emerging IP Finance landscape.

During Mr. Bergelt’s stewardship of these IP-based lending activities, he raised more than $300 million dollars and financed portfolio companies of private equity firms including Texas Pacific Group, Kelso & Co., JH Whitney, Weston Presidio, Goode Partners, Palladium Capital, and Castanea Partners, among others.

Mr. Bergelt was a co-founder of the IP Advisory Practice within the Electronics and Telecommunications Industry group at SRI Consulting in Menlo Park, California.

Mr. Bergelt holds anArtium Baccalaureusdegree from DukeUniversity, a Jurist Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Theseus Institute in France. He is a frequent speaker on corporate strategy, finance, and intellectual property management.