Strategy & Partnerships
Should I build a company around my patent or license it and move on?
The short answer
Build when the patent anchors a whole company — a platform or new category with no incumbent who could serve the market better. License when existing players already own the channels. Both paths are thriving: university IP startups surged 15% in a year while non-exclusive licensing remains the market's largest segment at about 42%.
The full picture
The honest build-test: Does this invention create a market or improve one? Can I name the first ten customers? Do I want to spend five-plus years operating, or do I want checks? Notably, 748 of 1,095 university startups in 2025 stayed in their home state — building has become a supported, local endeavor with real infrastructure, but it's still building.
The honest license-test: Are there three-plus credible companies already selling into this market? Would they pay royalties rather than fight? If both tests pass, compare the expected values soberly — royalty streams versus equity outcomes — because the romantic choice and the profitable one diverge often. Running that comparison against your actual patent is precisely what a commercialization score is for.
Where does your patent stand?
The Beyond the Patent Commercialization Score answers that — a professional, factor-by-factor read on your patent's licensing, sale, build, and partner potential.
Related questions
General information for patent owners — not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.