Friday 21 August 2015

"Innovation to Investment": a question of priority, or of timing?

"Innovation to Investment – How to capitalise on your IP" takes place at the Barclay Escalator's London Innovation Loft on Friday 25 September. According to the organisers:
"Intellectual Property should be at the forefront of the mind of start-ups working in the Fintech/digital space.  Whether it is the importance of IP for access to funding, or understanding how to protect innovation and manage risks, a well thought-out IP strategy is essential to capitalising on your innovation".  
In this blogger's view the truth of the matter is that IP is at the forefront of the mind of practically every start-up these days, both in the Fintech/digital space and outside it -- but the difficulty faced by most start-ups is that of having IP in their minds at the right time and for the right reasons. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that, the smaller a start-up is, the greater is the demand for multitasking skills and for getting the timing right when cash flows, IP fees and deadlines and the need to engage with an ever-changing market are all competing for attention, and indeed for priority.

A cynic might be forgiven for commenting that IP is more at the forefront of the mind of start-ups than of many funders, for whom (i) getting their money back (ii) with interest and (iii) without risk are front, centre and indeed practically everywhere else in their consciousness. It would be great if this were no longer so and this blogger looks forward to the time when this happy end will come to pass.

This seminar should ideally be attended by start-ups themselves but in reality it is likely to be attended mainly by those who advise them. IP Finance hopes that the speakers -- Nigel Swycher (CEO, Aistemos), Julius Stobbs (Stobbs IP) and Ash Von Schwan (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton) -- will bear this need for perfect timing in mind when making their presentations.

Click here for a comment on the event from Aistemos, and here for full information, registration and a map showing where you can find the venue. Registration is free.

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