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| September 2026 - Foresight Valuation Group E-News |
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| See You in San Diego: Foresight at the LES 2026 Annual Meeting |
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Foresight at LES 2026 – At a Glance | Sat, Oct 17 | LES Academy: Valuation II – taught by Efrat Kasznik | | Mon, Oct 19 | Workshop: IP Valuation Year in Review – moderated by Efrat Kasznik | | Tue, Oct 20 | Roundtable: The Startup “Exit Bottleneck” – led by Efrat Kasznik | | Tue, Oct 20 | Roundtable: IP as a Funding Tool for Non-AI Startups – led by Lynn Dudinsky |
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The LES USA & Canada 2026 Annual Meeting takes place October 18–21, 2026 in San Diego, California. This year’s theme, “Keeping Licensing Classy in San Diego,” puts the spotlight on biotechnology, life sciences and cutting-edge research. Foresight’s President, Efrat Kasznik, is Co-Chair of this year’s meeting, alongside Sam Wiley of Ocean Tomo. The planning that started at last year’s kickoff in Boston has turned into a full program of keynotes, plenary panels, workshops, roundtables and dealmaking opportunities. Keynote speakers include: - JP Hong, Vice President, Qualcomm – “From Innovation to Evidence: Raising the Bar in Licensing”
- Gideon Myles, Associate General Counsel for Patents & Trademarks, OpenAI
- Richard Thurston, Chairman & CEO, Great Lakes Semiconductor; retired SVP & General Counsel, TSMC
- Russell Levine, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
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| Join Foresight’s Sessions in San Diego |
If you’re attending, we’d love to see you at our sessions: |
LES Academy: Valuation II (Dealmaking Track) Saturday, October 17 · 8:00 am–12:00 pm · Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, 655 W Broadway, San Diego · Taught by Efrat Kasznik Before the Annual Meeting opens, Efrat teaches the Valuation II course in the LES Academy’s Dealmaking track, designed for professionals with three or more years of licensing experience. She is joined by fellow instructors Adam Falconer (Lumenci) and Sam Wiley (Ocean Tomo). The Academy runs October 16–18 and requires separate registration. |
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Workshop: IP Valuation Year in Review Monday, October 19 · 10:00–11:00 am · Harbor B Efrat moderates a panel with Jack Lu (Intellectual Property Market Advisory Partners), Sandeep Agarwal (XLScout) and Yvonne Lee (Parabellum Capital). They cover the past year in IP transactions, damages awards, M&A, startup funding, litigation finance and private equity. |
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Roundtable: The Startup “Exit Bottleneck” Tuesday, October 20 · 11:45 am–12:45 pm · Harbor D-I · Led by Efrat Kasznik With venture exits still constrained, Efrat leads a discussion on how licensing and IP monetization can help sustain returns and reshape the venture lifecycle. The discussion builds on Foresight’s 2026 Startup Valuation & Funding Predictions. |
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Roundtable: IP as a Funding Tool in a Bifurcated Venture Market: Strategies for Non-AI Startups Tuesday, October 20 · 11:45 am–12:45 pm · Harbor D-I · Led by Lynn Dudinsky AI startups are commanding record valuations and round sizes, while non-AI companies face a tougher fundraising market. Foresight’s Vice President, Lynn Dudinsky, leads a discussion on how non-AI startups can use their IP to compete for capital, strengthen their valuation story and access alternative financing, including licensing revenue as non-dilutive funding. |
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Registration rates go up on October 1, and anyone who registers by then is entered into an iPad prize draw. |
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| View the full program |
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| Efrat Kasznik Named to the IAM 300 for the 14th Year in a Row |
For the 14th consecutive year, Foresight’s President, Efrat Kasznik, has been named to the IAM 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists. IAM recognizes her for more than 25 years of helping businesses turn innovation into measurable commercial value, advising both global companies and emerging startups on IP valuation, commercialization and monetization. |
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| In IAM: Closing the Intangible Valuation Gap in M&A Deal Pricing |
Efrat’s article on M&A deal pricing appears again this year in IAM’s Guide to Monetisation. Internally generated intangibles such as patents, trademarks, software and customer relationships don’t appear on the balance sheet, yet they can drive a large share of a target’s value. The article outlines how buyers and sellers can close that valuation gap, including higher valuation multiples, separate IP valuations, IP-based payment milestones and licensing arrangements. |
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| Stay Connected with Foresight Valuation Group on LinkedIn |
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