Blog
-
Bad Behavior By Angel Groups -“Due Diligence”
Due diligence is supposed to help investors and the entrepreneurs, but many times it is a charade. I am a member of several angel investor groups, and I am intimately familiar with many more. In…
-
Gullible Angel Investors and Provisional Patent Applications
Last time, we discussed the provisional patent application hoax perpetuated by patent attorneys. In this post, we look at the scam from the inventor/entrepreneur side. Many so-called inventors/entrepreneurs like to file their own provisional patent…
-
The Provisional Patent Hoax
One of the greatest hoaxes in our industry is the notion that provisional patent applications are a good thing. They are not. I am always amazed how some hoaxes are told over and over to…
-
How accelerators and angel groups lose their way.
Riding on the back of the entrepreneur. Ever drive by a construction site and see dozens of “supervisors” standing around, while one guy with a shovel is actually working? This is the perfect metaphor for…
-
The Endless Science Project
Serving two masters, and the enablement of investors. Some startups are the Endless Science Project. They start from a “cool” technological idea and work on endless science projects. They run one science project for a…
-
Calling yourself an “Expert”
I avoid anyone who calls themselves an “expert” in anything. I would much rather have men ask why I have no statue, than why I have one. – Cato the Elder, from Plutarch’s Lives I…
-
Patents Age Like Fine Wine
Patents reach peak valuation around year 12. Why is that? We like to think about patents as call options on technology. With a call option, you have the opportunity, but not the obligation, to cash…
-
Trading on the Differences
Uncertainty is not a Bad Thing, it is Opportunity. Every time you see a news story or read a blog about a topic you know very well, it is amazing that the stories have lots…
-
IP Valuation in a Regulatory Framework
When an invention requires regulatory approval, a patent is a secondary element of intellectual property protection. Regulatory requirements trump patents as the primary form of protection or moat[1] against a business. Medical devices and pharmaceutical…
-
The Government is the Worst Customer – and the Worst Investor
The Invisible Hand versus the Regulator’s Pen. We will always invest where Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand” is pushing things forward, and avoid businesses where the regulator’s pen can wipe it out. We avoid regulatory risk,…