How can you use intellectual property to attract a high valuation and strong investment? Here are a some things to think about:
- A solid, ongoing patenting program. Questions (and possibly eyebrows) likely to be raised if your most recent patent was filed several years ago. It looks much more attractive if you have a steady stream of well-crafted patent applications. These applications should clearly be the product of a well thought out patent strategy. This strategy should sit alongside your product development road map. There are plenty of ways to do this without breaking the bank.
- Trade Marks registered (or at least filed) for your main brand(s). Make sure they have specifications of appropriate breadth to cover your goods without a risk of Non-Use attack.
- Registered Designs covering key design features of any physical products, again with well-crafted specifications.
- Processes in place to manage copyright and trade secrets.
- Supporting documentation that is organised and actively managed (everything from contracts to registration certificates, and beyond).
- Consider filing for IP protection (particularly patents) in countries where (1) you have a market, (2) you are planning to build a market, and (3) you or your competitors have supply chain components (manufacture / logistics etc).
To supercharge all of this, fully integrate your IP efforts into your business. So for example, add regulatory, contractual, and other protections to your product or service offerings. Have a good process for scanning and capturing insights. These insights might become valuable IP in the future.