This webinar was held on October 7, 2021, 4:00 PM CET

What will be covered

This webinar will discuss the role of patents and other forms of intellectual property for high-tech ventures. We will especially address the importance of an IP Strategy for getting your company financed, but also cover other key aspects of intellectual property, such as Freedom-to-Operate. The issue of cost (both time and money) of applying for patents, a major concern for early stage start-ups, will be addressed. And we will talk about alternative ways to deal with intellectual property, such as trade secrets and publication.

About the speaker

Our speaker, Willem Bulthuis, is not a patent lawyer, but an experienced business executive and VC expert, so the focus will be on the business aspects of intellectual property. Willem is founder and CEO of Corporate Ventures Advisory, providing curated matchmaking between global B2B ventures and corporate customers as well as investors. He has been interim Investment Manager and Venture Partner at VC Funds, Partner Manager for the TechTour Mobility Summit, and he is Board Member at the German Business Angel Network (BAND). Willem is also co-founder of the supply-chain sustainability startup sustainabill. Willem is active as expert/jury/mentor at many start-up accelerators and competitions, incl. PlugandPlay, European Innovation Council, Copernicus. EIT Raw Materials, InsureTechHub, UnternehmerTUM, TechFounders, HTXL, GreenUp, TechTour programs on Mobility, DeepTech, Materials, Maritime, Oceans. He brings over 30 years of executive experience in the global High-Tech industry, at Philips Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, Giesecke & Devrient and secunet Security Networks AG, in positions like VP Global Sales, CTO and Board of Management. He has lived in Europe as well as Silicon Valley and is currently based in the Munich area.