Patent Portfolio Analysis
AixPoint runs commercial and strategic patent portfolio analysis for AgTech and deep-tech founders preparing for Series A/B, M&A or licensing. We work alongside your patent counsel, not in place of it, to turn filings into a moat investors and acquirers price into the cap table.
Audit my IP AgTech consulting
Quick Facts
- How many patents has Dirk filed?
- 60+ international patents (EU, US, WIPO) across plant phenotyping, electric weed control, agricultural robotics and biologicals.
- What does an IP audit include?
- Freedom-to-operate analysis, licensing-out opportunities, defensive filings, prior-art mapping, valuation.
- Timeline?
- 2-4 weeks for an audit; 8-12 weeks for a full portfolio strategy.
- When is IP strategy critical?
- Pre-Series A and at every M&A or licensing inflection, most decks understate the IP risk.
- Geographies?
- EPO, USPTO, WIPO PCT routes, with national-phase guidance for DE, FR, ES, IT, NL.
What a patent portfolio analysis includes
We work through every filing in the portfolio plus the relevant competitive landscape and produce a structured report covering scope, strength, jurisdictional coverage, prosecution risk, claim breadth, dependency on enabling disclosures, and commercial leverage. The report sits inside the investor data room and is written to be read by partners, not just IP specialists.
Freedom-to-operate before fundraising
An FTO review identifies blocking art early so you can redesign or license before a Series B opinion derails the round. We run a structured search across EP, US, CN, JP and WIPO databases, score each blocking reference, and propose a defensible response, design-around, opposition, license, or acquisition.
Claim architecture that investors understand
Investors and acquirers read independent claims first. We work with your patent attorney to draft claims that block competitors at the level of mechanism, not merely the level of your current prototype, and we structure dependent claims to leave room for the next two product generations.
Agriculture and precision-farming IP
AgTech IP carries specific traps: open standards in ISOBUS, telematics and ag-data APIs; broad biologicals patents at BASF, Syngenta and Bayer; aggressive prosecution in autonomy and computer-vision-for-ag. We map the landscape, name the credible holders, and design a filing roadmap that respects standards while protecting your wedge.
How AixPoint works with patent attorneys
Your patent attorney drafts, files and prosecutes. AixPoint sets the strategy, runs the competitive analysis, prepares the investor narrative around the portfolio, and briefs counsel with the commercial objective. Most engagements involve a working session every two weeks with the founder, attorney and AixPoint.
Deliverables and timeline
Standard engagement: 4-6 weeks. Deliverables include an IP audit report, a 12-month filing roadmap with budget and jurisdictions, an FTO summary, a claim-architecture review and a board-ready IP slide. We then stay on retainer through the next fundraising cycle to keep the portfolio synchronised with the milestone calendar.
Filing roadmap
Where to file (EP, US, CN, JP), in what order, and at what cost, synced to your fundraising calendar so IP signals arrive in due diligence.
Claim architecture
Work with your patent attorney to draft claims that block competitors instead of merely describing your prototype.
Freedom-to-operate
Identify blocking art early; redesign or license before a Series B FTO opinion derails your round.
- 01IP auditMap current filings, prosecution status, gaps versus competitors.
- 02Roadmap12-month filing plan with budget, jurisdictions, and DD-readiness milestones.
- 03ExecuteCoordinate with your patent counsel, prep IP section of the data room.
From the portfolio
Precision Optics
ENANTIOS
Bio-Surfactants
PureSurf
Pyrolysis Heat & Biochar
KuroVia
Frequently asked
- What is a patent portfolio analysis?
- A patent portfolio analysis is the commercial and strategic review of every filing, claim, jurisdiction, prosecution status and competitor position attached to your IP. It produces a single picture of where the portfolio is strong, where it is exposed, and what needs to be filed or abandoned to make the company investable, acquirable or licensable.
- When should an AgTech startup run an FTO review?
- Freedom-to-operate should be reviewed before any Series A process and again before product launch into a new geography. Catching blocking art at Series B is expensive; catching it at pre-Series A is a design decision. We sequence FTO into the readiness sprint so the data room never carries a surprise.
- Can AixPoint replace a patent attorney?
- No. AixPoint works commercially and strategically alongside patent counsel. Your attorney drafts and prosecutes; we set the filing roadmap, run the competitive analysis, prepare investor-grade IP narratives, and brief your attorney with the strategic objectives. Cheaper, faster, more focused on valuation than a pure legal mandate.
- How does IP strategy affect valuation?
- IP is one of the top three diligence items in deep-tech rounds. A defensible claim architecture, a credible filing roadmap and a clean FTO report can move a Series B valuation by 10-30%. The reverse is also true: a thin or sloppy portfolio gets repriced down or removed from the diligence shortlist.
- Which sectors does AixPoint know best?
- Agriculture and precision farming, robotics, biologicals, sensors, post-harvest, optics, biotech, water intelligence and sustainable materials. We have filed 60+ patents across these areas as operators and run IP strategy for portfolio companies including ENANTIOS, PureSurf and KuroVia.
Patent Portfolio Analysis for AgTech and Deep-Tech Startups
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