productI have experience with internet startups but have a different plan. In this case I have an invention idea that I wish to build and - with luck and a bit of effort, build a startup into an effective business.
All over the place I see companies claiming to assist in the invention-for-sale industry but it looks like a lot of scam material. Are there any real and legitimate places that help people get their products off the ground or are they all really a waste of time and money?
Are there any real and legitimate places that help people get their products off the ground or are they all really a waste of time and money?
Yes, there are. (I do, fwiw.)
The problem with your question and follow-up comments is that you’ve highlighted sites that are run by marketers who are apparently focused on getting over-excited inventors to a) file a patent and then b) helping them market their invention.
Based on that, I’d gather you’re finding plenty of reviews with varying degrees of “very expensive and my invention didn’t sell” all over the place. Are they legit and warranted?
On the one hand side, you’ve enthusiastic inventors who throw big wads of cash down a toilet otherwise know as the US patent system. On the other, I submit to you that if these firms walk you through that step they’ve technically delivered (at least part of) what they say they do.
I’d take it a step further and suggest that if they’re able to save you a few hours of $500/hour attorney fees, they might even be delivering a valuable service. Whether an invention ends up selling in a later stage is orthogonal to this value.
As to how well they sell inventions, I wouldn’t want to put any opinion forward.
With that being said, you were probably asking this because you either can’t afford or aren’t willing to afford to play the patent lottery. So allow me to put these few questions forward to help you decide:
It’s that simple: find the clients first; worry about the logistics later. (And don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help identifying who you should be selling to and how.)
If you’re finding yourself wondering “Yes, but I might lose my ability to actually file a patent!” then think about the idea more thoroughly because patents are usually overpriced insurance policies. Two questions to that effect:
If you answered no to any of the above, then why are you worrying about filing patents instead of trying to find clients?
Check for Entrepeneurial clubs in your neighborhood. In my hometown, there are two such organizations, one of which has been holding monthly meetings for more than twenty years. Both formats are pretty similar; Members gather together to listen to a presenter on some related subject such as copyright, then afterwards many stay around to talk shop with other entrepeneurs. The advice and contacts that you can develop at such meetings can be amazingly valuable.
Once you find such a meeting, you will want to put together an elevator pitch; a 30-second description of what you are trying to create, which defends the kernel of your idea while expressing where you are in the journey and what your next hurtles are. It is important to create this pitch ahead of time because if your try to wing it, you will probably give too much information away.
All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.