+1.970.776.4355 · Loveland, CO · Russ Krajec, principal Currently accepting Fractional Chief IP Officer engagements →

  • Your Patent Attorney Is NOT Giving Business Advice

    Most inventors think that hiring a patent attorney[1] means they’re protected. That’s a mistake.

  • Contempt from Crowdfunded Equity

    Entrepreneurs are stuck between two polar opposites. On one hand, they are encouraged – endlessly – to hype, hype, hype. The accelerators and incubators want to see astronomical projections, Total Addressable Markets in the trillions, and hockey stick growth. Entrepreneurs need to attract attention, and the more they hype and over promise, the more attention…

  • Entrepreneurs and Imposter Syndrome

    Some founders will drone on and on telling you how “innovative” they are. They highlight their patents, their clever ideas, their alma mater from decades ago. But without customers and cash flow, that’s just posturing. Real innovation is not what you dream up in the lab—it’s what you prove in the market.

  • AI Startups: Protect Everything EXCEPT the Patent

    Short version: For most AI companies, patents on “using AI for X” don’t protect you. They backfire by revealing your method while remaining practically unenforceable. The competitive advantage is in your data, processes, distribution, and customers—so protect those and build your business around the reality that competitors can do something similar.

  • Strategic Partnerships are often Neither

    Every founder loves to brag about their “strategic partnerships.” The name sounds impressive, but hides a glaring truth:

  • The Company as the Product

    Serving two masters – but they are compatible. The first master is the customer who buys your product, and the second master is the one who buys your company.

  • Nobody Buys Technology – They Buy Solutions

    Entrepreneurs love to talk about their technology. Endlessly. Ad nauseam. And when it’s time to raise money or sell the company[1], they make the same mistake: they lead with the tech.

  • Build Your Company Backwards: How to Align With Angel and VC Expectations

    When you’re raising outside capital — especially from angels or venture funds — you’re not just pitching your company. You’re implicitly making a promise: that their investment will turn into a significant return, typically a 10x outcome over five to seven years.

  • When Your Capital Strategy Kills Your Commercial Value

    Let’s walk through the math that every angel investor does.

  • A License is NOT Selling Your Technology – It is Selling Exclusivity

    I recently heard a pitch from a startup with remarkable technology – a genetically modified seed that signaled when it’s under stress. Instead of waiting for crops to wilt, farmers could respond early, boosting yields. The data was strong. The science worked.