Steve Leonard

Background

About Steve Leonard

Steve is a Partner / Patent Agent at Aird & McBurney LP, and is a registered patent agent in Canada and the United States. With a PhD in Physics, Steve brings a natural curiosity to his patent practice and enjoys the challenge of protecting complex inventions that span multiple technical disciplines. He collaborates with his clients to develop a clear and effective IP narrative that highlights value creation, barriers to competition and alignment with business strategy. Steve advises startups, academic institutions and teaching hospitals on patent protection and development. His entrepreneurial experience in startups and technology commercialization gives him an insightful approach to intellectual property, allowing him to help clients build valuable patent portfolios in medtech, deep tech, AI, optics, computer vision, robotics, telecom and fintech. Steve brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience at multiple startups, where he held roles in research, product development, business development and IP strategy. In 2009, he also co-founded Qvella, a Canadian diagnostics company developing technologies for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. Steve is passionate about supporting early-stage entrepreneurs and fostering innovation in the Canadian startup ecosystem. Since 2020, he has served as a mentor in the health stream at the Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto.