Determine Intellectual Property Is Not An Issue

Why Is This Important? With the company formed and in control of the IP, you want to formally protect it and your ability to build on it in the future.

Key Actions Things to Consider Tool Kit
Get Letters of Clearance if needed Be clear on who owns the technology and, more importantly, who doesn’t
Obtain additional technology licenses if needed Does another entity require a licensing agreement for commercial use of a component of your product?

You will probably need legal advice to negotiate the best terms

A bad agreement can prevent you from getting funding

Conduct a preliminary freedom to operate analysis See if MVP potentially infringes on existing patents
File patent(s) based on provisional patents Multiple provisional applications can be combined into a single full application at the first provisional 1-year date
Conduct a brainstorming session on how to get around your patents and file provisional patents to block those workarounds If you wanted to re-invent your product, how would you get around your patent?