InventionShare is an invention equity and technology‑monetization company that identifies platform technologies with strong intellectual‑property foundations and accelerates their commercialization through licensing, acquisition or the creation of “invention companies.”[2][1]
High‑Level Overview
- Mission: InventionShare’s stated mission is to monetize technologies directly by placing or licensing platform technologies into new markets and applications to achieve attractive monetization outcomes.[2][1]
- Investment philosophy: The firm operates as a hybrid invention‑equity vehicle and business‑development partner, favoring a push‑based model that creates and develops invention companies and pursues licensing or M&A rather than operating high‑risk product companies.[1][2]
- Key sectors: Public descriptions emphasize platform technologies across multiple industries rather than a narrow sector focus, with examples in IoT, energy/clean tech, life sciences, wearables and other tech areas referenced in third‑party profiles.[1][2]
- Impact on the startup ecosystem: InventionShare positions itself as an outsourced commercialization and IP‑marketing engine that helps technology owners (universities, corporates, startups) access new markets and buyers, thereby increasing IP liquidity and alternative exit pathways for innovators.[2][3]
2. Origin Story
- Founding & leadership: Public profiles list InventionShare as an Ottawa, Canada–based invention equity firm and identify Greg Waite as CEO alongside a small leadership/advisory team including Kevin Bailey, Thomas G. Hogan Jr. and board/advisors such as Steve Schafer and Paul DiGiammarino.[1][3]
- How the idea emerged: The company describes itself as built around a “Breakthrough Invention Fund” concept and a toolbox combining relationships, big‑data patent analysis and IP marketing to accelerate monetization of platform technologies; this framing indicates the firm was created to fill a gap between IP owners and commercialization markets.[2][1]
- Early traction / pivotal moments: Publicly available material highlights a portfolio of inventions and press announcements promoting that portfolio, but specific deal‑level milestones, fund closes or large exits are not detailed in the public profiles reviewed.[4][1]
Core Differentiators
- Unique operating model: InventionShare positions itself as a hybrid between corporate venture, VC, accelerators and impact investing that focuses on building “invention companies” and monetizing IP rather than traditional operating startups.[1][2]
- Relationships and go‑to‑market capability: The firm emphasizes an extensive industry network used to market IP and match technologies to licensees or acquirers.[2][3]
- Data‑driven IP analysis: InventionShare advertises use of big‑data tools to analyze patents and assess technology strength and market fit as part of its discovery and targeting process.[2]
- IP marketing and storytelling: The company highlights IP branding and tailored marketing as a core capability to make technologies attractive to corporate buyers and licensees.[2]
- Outsourced business development for technologists: It offers a client engagement model where it acts as an outsourced business‑development partner so technology owners can pursue new markets in parallel with their core operations.[2][3]
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
- Trend tapped: InventionShare rides the trend toward alternative commercialization pathways for IP (licensing, IP spinouts, acquisition of inventions) as opposed to founding full‑scale operating companies for every breakthrough technology.[2][1]
- Why timing matters: A crowded innovation landscape and rising IP volume make specialized IP‑monetization services useful for organizations that lack bandwidth or buyer networks to commercialize secondary market opportunities.[2][3]
- Market forces in their favor: Corporates and investors increasingly seek off‑balance‑sheet technology and licensing deals, while universities and startups look for non‑dilutive or partial‑exit routes—conditions that create demand for IP marketing and matching services.[2][1]
- Influence on ecosystem: By creating additional liquidity channels for IP and packaging inventions into investable/licensable assets, InventionShare can help broaden exit options and accelerate diffusion of platform technologies into adjacent industries.[2][4]
Quick Take & Future Outlook
- Short term: Expect InventionShare to continue growing its portfolio and deal‑sourcing through patent analytics, relationship outreach and targeted IP marketing while promoting the “invention company” model to IP owners seeking monetization.[2][1]
- Medium term trends to watch: Success will depend on demonstrated monetization outcomes (licenses, acquisitions, revenue‑generating partnerships), the firm’s ability to scale its network, and continued corporate interest in acquiring or licensing external platform technologies.[2][4]
- Potential evolution: If it proves the model at scale, InventionShare could become a more widely used intermediary between innovators and industry buyers or expand into fund structures that syndicate invention assets to institutional investors.[1][2]
Key caveat: Public information about InventionShare is limited to company materials and third‑party directory profiles; detailed deal‑level data, fund size, and audited track record are not clearly disclosed in the sources reviewed, so some inferences about scale and impact are based on the firm’s stated model rather than independently verified transaction records.[2][1][3]
