IP-Backed Lending & Strategic IP Governance
Your Patents Are Either Working Capital or Expensive Wallpaper
Non-dilutive IP-backed loans for companies with real intellectual property assets. Half the cost of venture capital. No equity surrendered.
$2M–$50M
Typical loan range
45–60 Days
Funding timeline
40–60%
Less than VC cost
0%
Equity dilution
IP-Backed Lending
Your patents are collateral. Your equity stays yours.
A $10M-revenue company with investment-grade patents can qualify for a $20M IP-backed loan. Non-dilutive capital that funds growth without surrendering ownership or board seats.
IP-backed lending works when the patents protect real revenue streams. Lenders evaluate claim quality, enforceability, and competitive positioning — not patent count. Five enforceable patents outperform fifty that describe your own product.
Who qualifies: U.S.-based companies with $5M+ revenue and issued utility patents protecting core technology.
| Venture Capital | IP-Backed Loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Equity dilution | 15–30% | None |
| Board seats | 1–2 seats | None |
| Timeline | 6–12 months | 45–60 days |
| Cost of capital | High (equity price) | 40–60% less |
| Control | Shared | Retained |
| Collateral | Your company | Your patents |
Capital Is One Outcome of Strategic IP
Companies that secure IP-backed lending have one thing in common: someone owns the strategic thesis behind the portfolio.
Not the attorney. Not the CTO. Someone with the patent fluency to evaluate enforceability and the business judgment to connect it to revenue.
Large companies call this role a Chief IP Officer. Growth-stage companies usually do not have one.
That gap affects both valuation and lending outcomes.
4–6 engagements per year
Fractional Chief IP Officer
For a small number of companies each year, we provide executive-level IP strategy oversight — aligning patent decisions with competitive leverage, enforcement readiness, and capital outcomes.
Your board sets business goals. Your patent attorney writes patents. The CIPO connects the two — with the framework and unbiased data to make confident investment decisions.
This is how Microsoft, Qualcomm, and IBM run their IP. A fractional CIPO delivers that level of strategic oversight — scaled to your stage, your portfolio, and your budget.
Invention Evaluation
Every invention assessed as a business investment before money is spent. Does it protect revenue? Can infringement be detected? Will it change competitor behavior?
Prosecution Direction
Every patent gets a prosecution playbook before outside counsel writes a single claim. Target competitors named. Design-around paths blocked. Budget set.
Quality Oversight
Every draft and office action response reviewed before submission. Non-compliant work returned for revision. Your standards enforced — without reading patent claims yourself.
Portfolio Deployment
Every patent has a job: lend against, license, enforce, sell, or let go. IP-backed lending, negotiation leverage, acquisition premium. Your board decides — with data.
From the Blog
The economics, incentives, and structural problems behind patent strategy.
- The URGENT Email from your Patent AttorneyYou don’t feel qualified to answer it. You cannot afford to ignore it. And your attorney cannot make the decision… Read more: The URGENT Email from your Patent Attorney
- Why Patent Competence Is a C-Suite ResponsibilityWhy outsourcing it to a patent attorney is one of the most common — and expensive — mistakes founders make… Read more: Why Patent Competence Is a C-Suite Responsibility
- Are Patents Still Relevant in the Age of AI?The cost to build software is collapsing. Not slowly. Not incrementally. It’s collapsing fast enough that entire assumptions about startups,… Read more: Are Patents Still Relevant in the Age of AI?
- Myth: Patents Have Intrinsic ValueWhy Revenue Is the Only Metric of Value There is a deeply embedded myth in the startup, investor, and legal… Read more: Myth: Patents Have Intrinsic Value
- CES and Grifting the Entrepreneurial EcosystemGrifting in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem I just returned from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I have been going… Read more: CES and Grifting the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
- Stolen Valor: How Sleazy Patent Attorneys Abuse InventorshipFor an innovator, being named as an inventor on a patent is the crowning achievement of a career. Being named… Read more: Stolen Valor: How Sleazy Patent Attorneys Abuse Inventorship
Investing in Patents
The business case for patents that work as assets, not wallpaper.
Why 95% of patents are worthless. Why your attorney’s incentives don’t align with yours. And the decision framework that separates investment-grade patents from expensive wallpaper.
Covers making the business case for a patent, how startups use patents, managing the process, due diligence, and what good patents actually cost. Read free online or order a copy.
Ready to Put Your Patents to Work?
Whether you need capital, strategic oversight, or both — it starts with a conversation about what your portfolio is actually worth.