​​Patently Strategic - Patent Strategy for Startups

What Investors Want in Patents with Sridhar Iyengar

16 snips
May 30, 2023
Sridhar Iyengar, an angel investor and serial entrepreneur, discusses what investors look for in patents. They explore topics such as the value of patents, public disclosure, packaging and colors in consumer products, valuing patents in early stage investing, and offensive and defensive patent strategies.
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INSIGHT

When Patents Actually Matter

  • Patents matter when the company's moat is scientific or technically hard to replicate.
  • For marketing, design, or software-first moats, trademarks, copyrights, or execution often beat patents.
ADVICE

Patent What You Can Detect

  • Avoid patenting things you cannot spot an infringer for or that cannot be reverse engineered from the product.
  • Keep trade secrets for hard-to-reverse-engineer aspects and patent outward-facing features instead.
ANECDOTE

PillPack: No Patents, Huge Exit

  • Sridhar invested in PillPack before they had any IP because their moat was operational and licensing advantages.
  • Amazon bought PillPack for rapid market entry and existing operational infrastructure.
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