Robert Dale Gunderman
U.S. and Canadian Patent Agent 
President & CEO, Hydratics®
Rochester, New York
“The ability to take an asset, monetize it and feed the profits back into a business is a truly creative undertaking.”
Apollo 11 Inspired Entrepreneur to Build Life of Invention
Robert Dale Gunderman – entrepreneur, licensed professional engineer and registered U.S. and Canadian patent agent – has built his life around invention. From the time he watched Apollo 11 land on the moon from a small cottage in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, science and invention have been his life. His first job out of college was his own company, a small automated testing business he started with a college roommate. He reminisces about that experience, “There’s not much glamour in a startup. Long hours and rotten pay. But in the end, you created something that did not exist beforehand. That’s a very satisfying feeling.”
Beyond being an inventor, Gunderman understands the value of patents as assets that can be bought, sold and transformed into the core of a new startup company. Gunderman is president and CEO of Hydratics, a startup that’s pioneering a low-power desalination technology that turns saltwater into pure clean drinking water. Unlike most startups, Gunderman created Hydratics by purchasing patents and funded it by selling other patents of his own. “The ability to take an asset, monetize it and feed the profits back into a business is a truly creative undertaking,” says Gunderman.
First Buy a Patent, Then Start a Business
In late 2009, Gunderman began discussions with a company that was divesting patents that were no longer essential to its business. He realized he could build a company around those patents, and that’s how Hydratics was born. After bootstrapping the company, which Gunderman had done for his previous startups, he decided to sell some of his own inventions in order to further finance his new venture. He holds patents in areas including software, electronic devices, microtechnology and nanotechnology, and medical test and treatment equipment.
Gunderman was familiar with Intellectual Ventures through working in the patent field, and knew that they could be a good potential buyer for his patents. He contacted Intellectual Ventures through their website. They replied promptly and courteously, and then conducted extensive due diligence before reaching an agreement with Gunderman. “Intellectual Ventures’ process is streamlined and everyone that I interacted with really had their act together,” says Gunderman.
Life-Saving Inventions Can Change the World
Several parties involved in this chain of events benefited from viewing intellectual property as a financial asset that can be bought and sold. Intellectual Ventures acquired valuable patents from Gunderman to bolster its own portfolio of intellectual property assets. Hydratics received funding to help build a system that provides clean drinking water with low energy consumption.
Hydratics’ technology could make a huge difference in disaster relief efforts when energy is in short supply and safe drinking water is inaccessible. Says Gunderman, “I’m hopeful that someday our low-power desalination systems will be used to save lives in areas that need clean drinking water or have been hit by disaster.” He’s passionate about technology that will make a difference in the world, just as the moon landing did years ago.