When I started my career as an Industrial Designer, I had the privilege of working with Silicon Valley startups and Fortune 500 companies, helping them bring groundbreaking products to market.

Choosing between licensing and manufacturing depends on your goals and resources. Licensing means letting another company produce and sell your product while you earn royalties.

Pitching your idea can be intimidating, but preparation makes all the difference. Start with a concise, clear description of your invention and why it solves a problem.

Intellectual Property (IP) is the legal protection for your ideas, designs, or inventions. It includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Worried someone might steal your invention? Start by documenting your idea thoroughly—write it down, sketch it out, and keep detailed notes.

When you get a patent, it doesn’t last forever—it has an expiration date. Utility patents, the most common type, last 20 years from the filing date, but you’ll need to pay fees to keep them active.