July 25 , 2018

Efrat's  Message : PresidentsMessage
 
Greetings from sunny California to all our friends and colleagues! 
 
In this edition of our newsletter, we share some key findings and trends as observed in over 2 years of data from our  startup survey . This is a survey that every startup that approaches us is required to fill in, and we use it to map startups on our Product/Execution map to assess their readiness for funding. 
 
Also in this newsletter, we share our commentary to the Oil States case, one of the most recent patent-related decisions by the Supreme Court; we also share my presentation from a recent ABA webinar that I gave on the topic of IP and Startup valuations.
 
We hope you enjoy this newsletter, as well as the rest of your summer! 


Warmly,

     


Foresight's Startup Survey Trends SurveyTrends

5 Key Observations from Foresight's 2 Years of Startup Surveys



In 2016, we launched a   startup assessment survey , aimed at analyzing startups that approach us for services and scoring them on the  Product/Execution Quadrant map .  This analytical tool provides a useful framework for early stage startup assessment (Pre-Series-A) and for identifying areas of weakness on either the Product or Execution side that should be addressed in order to take the company to the next level.
 
With over 2 years of data, we have seen some compelling trends in the responses we get from founders.  Below are a few observations that can shed light on early stage founders' motivations, products, competitive advantages and other factors critical to success:
  1. Founders who are experts in their industries are often targeting problems based on personal pain
  2. Most founders in the software industry have self-funded a product to minimum viable product (MVP) and beyond
  3. While many founders have some form of patent protection, an overwhelming majority mention 'Superior product features' as their competitive advantage
  4. First time entrepreneurs seem to overestimate their addressable market and/or underestimate the competition
  5. While most founders operate as a team, the definition of a 'team' is subject to interpretation
For our detailed survey results, please click  here .


Foresight in the Media IntheMedia

One Step Closer to Economic Justice: Commentary on WesternGeco LLC v. ION GeoPhysical







The United States Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision in  WesternGeco LLC v. ION Geophysical Corp. , regarding a patent owner's ability to recover lost foreign profits for US patent infringement damages. It reinforces the strength of the US patent system by aligning foreign lost profit damages with the definition of infringement.    For our full commentary, please click here


ABA Webinar: IP Valuation & Portfolio Management: Nuts & Bolts


Foresight President, Efrat Kasznik, has participated in a panel of IP valuation experts at a recent American Bar Association (ABA)  webinar: "IP Valuation & Portfolio Management: Nuts & Bolts".  Efrat's portion of the webinar was titled: "IP and Startup Valuations", and focused on the following areas:
  • How does IP bring value to a startup?
  • What is the investor's view of IP value?
  • Are IP positions and startup valuations correlated: a case study of Unicorn valuations
  • Key takeaways: leveraging IP for funding and growth
Efrat's slides can be downloaded directly from Foresight's SlideShare page


 Upcoming events  Upcoming

 

LES Annual Meeting, October 14-17, in Boston MA