Ashley Sloat Image

Ashley Sloat

Director of Patent Strategy

Aurora Consulting

Ashley is Director of Patent Strategy at Aurora Consulting and a USPTO-registered patent practitioner who specializes in the development and management of patent portfolios for startup ventures and emerging growth companies. As the owner and Director of Patent Strategy at Aurora Consulting LLC, Ashley has over 10 years of experience in patent application drafting and prosecution in a wide variety of technological areas including robotic systems, intracardiac devices, wireless healthcare technologies, physical activity equipment, biotechnologies, surgical training systems, topical drug formulations, drug repurposing, and other medical and consumer product devices. Aurora Consulting currently serves clients, ranging in size and technological field, throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Ashley earned her Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences from the University of Michigan. In addition to her research in immune-mediated disorders, Ashley also worked as a technology transfer fellow in the Office of Technology Transfer at the U of M. There she analyzed nascent technology for commercialization potential (marketability, challenges, competitors, potential licensees) and patentability. After earning her Ph.D., Ashley served as a patent infringement researcher for the U of M and a regulatory writer for an Ann Arbor-based, early stage pharmaceutical company, in particular, drafting documents for approval by the European Medicines Agency.

Recent Articles by Ashley Sloat

Patently Strategic Podcast: James Howard and the Black Inventors Hall of Fame

What would you have been without a role model? What would you have done had you not known your career path was even an option? The answers to these career and life-defining questions often come down to exposure, access, and whether or not we could picture ourselves doing something in the first place. I doubt there are many readers on here who are not regularly awe-inspired by the incredible work of the inventors we’re fortunate to know and serve. There are few nobler or more important professions. While we already know this and possibly take that knowledge for granted, our future depends on as many kids as possible – from as many backgrounds as possible – being inspired by, and personally identifying with, this world-shaping path. Our special guest in this month’s episode, James Howard, is taking on that challenge.

Patently Strategic Podcast: Government Grants and Patent Rights

Non-diluting capital can be an essential source of funding when trying to get your innovation off the ground. Investor money comes with the loss of equity and/or control. Family and friends’ money may come with the risk of strained relationships. In comparison, essentially free money by way of government grants can seem like an obvious choice, right? And it is for many. The Small Business Technology Transfer (or STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) grants are the largest source of early-stage capital for life science startups in the United States, combining to provide over $2 billion annually in support from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But like money from investors, friends, and family, these grants do still come with some serious strings attached and potential ramifications you need to be aware of.