Legal & Compliance
Intellectual Property (IP)
Legally protected creations of the mind — patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks — that create competitive advantages.
IP in the startup context includes patents, trade secrets, proprietary algorithms, copyrighted code, and trademarks. Strong IP can create defensible moats, increase company valuation, and deter competitors. VCs evaluate IP as part of due diligence.
In Practice
The biotech startup's IP portfolio included 12 granted patents and 30 pending applications, covering their core drug delivery mechanism — making it nearly impossible for competitors to replicate their approach.
Why It Matters
IP is often the primary asset of early-stage companies, especially in deep tech and biotech. Freedom-to-operate analysis ensures the company isn't infringing on others' patents.
VC Beast Take
IP is the moat that actually has teeth. Trade secrets and patents can block competitors in ways that brand and network effects can't. But only if you actually file and defend them.
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