Strategy & Partnerships
Can I structure a joint venture around my patented technology?
The short answer
Yes — IP-anchored JVs are a standard structure: you contribute the patent (or a license to it), a partner contributes capital, manufacturing, or distribution, and the venture shares the outcome. Equity-for-IP structures are measurably growing — agreements including equity rose 16% in a single year of university licensing data.
The full picture
The appeal: you keep exposure to the full upside without funding the whole build, and the partner gets protected technology they couldn't otherwise touch. The classic fit is an inventor with real IP and no factory meeting a manufacturer with a factory and no differentiation.
The diligence points: value the IP contribution explicitly (this is where an independent score does real work), define what happens to the patent if the JV dissolves, and be precise about fields of use and improvement ownership. JVs fail on ambiguous paper, not bad technology. The commercial architecture — who brings what, who gets what — is the conversation to have long before lawyers draft it.
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.