IPR Workshop (Part One): How Not to Waste €5M on Patents
Startups with patents raise 58% more capital, exit via public markets at five times the rate of peers without them, and get acquired at valuations that are 154.9% higher on average. But those numbers only show up if you play the game right.
For deep tech startups and research-based ventures, intellectual property is not just a legal detail - it can shape funding, partnerships, spinout potential and long-term competitive advantage. Yet many founders and researchers leave key IP decisions too late, or underestimate how easily value can be lost through premature disclosure.
This workshop is designed for deep tech founders, Aalto University researchers and inventors who want a clearer understanding of how to approach IP strategically from the start. It will cover the practical questions early-stage teams face: what is worth protecting, when to act, how to think about patents as part of a broader business strategy, and which common mistakes can undermine future commercial potential.
In this session Ola Wasswik, CCO and co-founder of Lightbringer, will walk through the rules most founders never learn until it's too late, the logic behind a small but high-impact portfolio, and why a single slip (mentioning your invention at the wrong conference, or in a thesis defense) can wipe out years of work. After 15+ years as CTO and co-founder of Flatfrog, with more than 300 patent families filed along the way, Ola has seen what IP can actually do for a company's growth, valuation and exit.
The workshop will be followed by 1:1 office hours, with slots offered on a first come, first served basis to those who have registered for the event.
For deep tech startups and research-based ventures, intellectual property is not just a legal detail - it can shape funding, partnerships, spinout potential and long-term competitive advantage. Yet many founders and researchers leave key IP decisions too late, or underestimate how easily value can be lost through premature disclosure.
This workshop is designed for deep tech founders, Aalto University researchers and inventors who want a clearer understanding of how to approach IP strategically from the start. It will cover the practical questions early-stage teams face: what is worth protecting, when to act, how to think about patents as part of a broader business strategy, and which common mistakes can undermine future commercial potential.
In this session Ola Wasswik, CCO and co-founder of Lightbringer, will walk through the rules most founders never learn until it's too late, the logic behind a small but high-impact portfolio, and why a single slip (mentioning your invention at the wrong conference, or in a thesis defense) can wipe out years of work. After 15+ years as CTO and co-founder of Flatfrog, with more than 300 patent families filed along the way, Ola has seen what IP can actually do for a company's growth, valuation and exit.
The workshop will be followed by 1:1 office hours, with slots offered on a first come, first served basis to those who have registered for the event.
When
–
Registration period:
–
Event language(s)
English
This workshop is available for startups in the Aalto Startup Center community, for those in any of the Startup Center Programs (Business Generator, ESA BIC Finland, Research to Business, Aalto Creatives, ESA Phi-Lab Finland). In addition, this specific event is open to Aalto University researchers - please register in advance.