USPTO-Registered Patent Attorney · Wisconsin · Serving the Midwest & Nationwide (414) 250-7985

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Patent Attorney for Startups & Emerging Companies

Provisional-first strategy, freedom-to-operate before you raise, and inventorship cleanup so IP diligence is a green light – not a fire drill.

For a startup, IP has one job: make the company more fundable and more valuable without burning runway. That means spending on the filings that move diligence and skipping the ones that don't. This is a strategy conversation before it's a drafting exercise.

TECH IMAGEfounders reviewing prototype · 1600×900
FIG. 1IP that reads as a fundable asset in diligence.

Provisional-first, budget-aware

A well-drafted provisional buys you a 12-month priority date and time to see which way the product goes – at a fraction of a full application's cost. We size the filing to your runway and your roadmap, not to a form template.

Freedom-to-operate before you raise

Nothing kills momentum like discovering, mid-diligence, that your core feature may infringe. A targeted FTO before a launch or a raise turns "we think we're clear" into something you can defend to a board.

The inventorship and assignment cleanup

The single most common IP problem in diligence: inventions that were never properly assigned to the company, or inventors named wrong. It's cheap to fix early and expensive to fix under a term sheet. We get your chain of title clean before anyone looks.

Typical trigger: "We're raising and the data room needs an IP section," or "A term sheet is contingent on IP diligence." Green-lighting that is exactly what this work is for.

What we handle

  • Provisional and non-provisional utility patents on a startup budget
  • Freedom-to-operate before launch and before a raise
  • Inventorship analysis and assignment cleanup for the data room
  • IP narrative and positioning for pitch decks and diligence
  • Continuation strategy that grows with the product

Common questions

We have almost no budget – what's the minimum that matters?

Usually a carefully drafted provisional on your core invention, plus getting assignments and inventorship clean. That combination protects priority and clears the most common diligence blocker for the least money.

Do investors actually care about patents?

For deep-tech and hardware, yes – IP is part of the moat they underwrite. Even for software, a clean IP story and no freedom-to-operate landmines reduce perceived risk.

When should we file relative to a raise?

Before you disclose publicly, and ideally before diligence starts. Filing establishes priority; cleanup makes diligence smooth. Both are easier before a term sheet than during one.

Can you work with our corporate counsel?

Yes. We handle patent strategy and prosecution and coordinate with your corporate and financing counsel so the IP section of the data room holds up.

Raising soon, or building toward it?

Bring your sketches, prototype, or a rough description – we'll tell you what's worth protecting.

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