Evalify’s Strategic Edge: A Counterintuitive Use Of Patents

When we first introduced Evalify in February 2024, we presented more than an AI-powered platform; we brought forth a new lens to assess early-stage startup ideas. This lens, focused sharply on patents, is not about legal entanglement but about leveraging a worldwide database of documented innovation.

To clarify the purpose and power of patents, let’s take a deep dive into the anatomy of a utility patent, delving more into how Evalify uses this information to elucidate things and answer one of the most asked questions from investors, founders, and innovators alike: “Why Patents?”.

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Anatomy of Patents: Vital Components and Their Role in Evalify’s Analysis

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Jurisdiction (1)
Every patent is tied to legal authority or jurisdiction, which defines its geographical validity. Evalify analyzes patents across over 170 jurisdictions to provide a global view of an innovation’s novelty and potential infringement risks.

Patent ID and Title (2, 3)
The patent identifier and title are our analysis's starting points. They help categorize, disambiguate, and swiftly retrieve the relevant patent documents.

Assignee(s) (4)
Knowing who holds the patent informs us about potential competitors or collaborators. It’s about understanding the landscape in which a startup will operate. It’s important to note that this information may change over time as patents are also available for sale or may change ownership during mergers and acquisitions. Also, assignees can be more than one person or entity, including individuals, companies, institutions, or corporations.

Abstract and Figures (5, 6)
The abstract sometimes gives a snapshot of the invention; other times, it can be very misleading, while figures and drawings provide visual clues — usually all beneficial to patent examiners. Currently, we do not use this specific information as it’s often unreliable — at times, abstracts are purposely used to mislead competitors. More, funny enough, none of this information has any legal importance. Yet, it is more important for us humans than Evalify’s AI models and systems to grasp what it is that we are dealing with.

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Invention Background and Summary (7, 8)
Here, the invention is placed in context. Once again, both these fields are more beneficial to humans than to Evalify’s AI models and systems, plus none of this information is of any legal relevance.

Invention Detailed Description (9)
This section is where things get more relevant from a legal standpoint, and everything one would expect is finally explained, exemplified, and disclosed. Attorneys love to provide as many “invention embodiments” as possible to help the examiner understand with no ambiguity how the described system, method, or typically both, work in concert to solve a specific technical problem. If the patent is well written, all possible use cases, key examples, intended uses, and edge cases are described herein. All this is exciting information ranging from a few to hundreds of pages — yeah, ask Apple!

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Claims (10)
Here we go. The claims are the most important thing and define the scope of legal protection. Here, Evalify’s AI models and systems shine and scrutinize all claims to assess and score the infringement risk probability first for each feature, and finally to the overall assessment until computing the Freedom to Operate (FTO) score.

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With Evalify, we’re not just scanning for potential patent conflicts; we’re dissecting the essence of innovation captured in patents. We use this “how-to” global database to ensure that the technical solutions proposed by startups are not only feasible and viable but also novel… or not. And when they are not novel, we can tell exactly why.

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Why All This Matters for Early-Stage Startups and Investors

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For early-stage startups, understanding patents can mean the difference between a smooth path to market or a gridlock of legal battles. For investors, it’s about ensuring their stakes are placed in ventures that stand on solid, unchallenged grounds. Evalify equips both parties with knowledge, transforming pitch decks into a proactive strategy tool rather than a passive presentation.

Moreover, it’s worth reflecting on the fact that this is not only critical to startup founders and investors, but to the entire ecosystem. Early-stage startup pitch deck assessments are open to VC, angel, and institutional investors, as well as venture studios, corporate innovation and legal departments, startup incubators and accelerators, consultants, startup competitions, hackathons, universities, and technology transfer offices.

So, let’s get back to the start: “Why Patents?”. Because patents are more than just legal documents; they’re a treasure trove of “how-to” guidelines for innovation. Evalify taps into this “reservoir of knowledge,” ensuring that every startup idea we assess is not just a fleeting thought but a potential beacon of market-changing innovation.

With Evalify, one is not just investing in a platform, but in a future where innovation is validated, risks are mitigated, and potential is realized. Welcome to a new era of informed investing. I just can't wait to see the manifold reach and expressions of the #EvalifyEffect.

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