Services
Project Benefit
Project Background
University needing a license partner
Project Benefit
Project Background
Technology Marketing and Communications Service
The Benefits of IP Protection
Intellectual Property Strategy
Freedom to Operate
IP Valuation
Business Planning
Marketing Technology
Technology Marketing and Communications Service
IP Due Diligence
The Benefits of IP Protection
Intellectual Property Strategy
Freedom to Operate
IP Valuation
Business Planning
Funding
Funding Strategy
Technology Translation
Venture Capital/Business Angel Funding
Grant Funding
Marketing Technology
Technology Marketing and Communications Service
Getting your technology noticed
And a proper marketing process is about identifying customer needs, adapting your “product” to meet that need, and getting the right person to know that you can fulfil their need, so that you can “close” on the sale! It is not just about creating fancy brochures, a company logo and a few generic press releases.
Burgundy Gold Ltd specialise in understanding what it takes from a marketing perspective to deliver an effective marketing plan for technology, and the communications material that you need to go with this.
We help our clients to:
Counter the problem of technology “push”Develop a marketing strategy that prioritises and focus time on the most effective places to market innovation Describe technology in terms of the benefits that it will deliverIdentify the right people to market it to, and how best to contact them
We do this by:
- Completing market research to understand the world from your potential customer’s perspective and determine the options and mechanisms to create value
- Writing copy that changes the message and the information provided depending on the intended audience – a venture capital fund manager will want to know different things to the Head of R&D
- Deliver technically focussed websites, business presentations, corporate identities, and marketing collateral that carefully highlights the novelty, uniqueness and innovation behind our clients business
- Build a networking map and strategy that will open up the opportunities and markets for our client’s technology
In the end marketing is not “rocket science” or as hard to understand as any of the great scientific fields that our customer work in. It is however a profession and takes experience to master. We like to think of it as a logical way to approach the “art” of selling and business development, and as such should be applied with the same rigorous approach that scientist apply to their scientific research!
IP Due Diligence
Burgundy Gold Ltd are able to help you with all aspects of Intellectual Property Management, including IP Strategy development, Freedom to Operate, and IP Valuation.
Whether you are a loan inventor, a new or existing company or a University Technology Transfer Department intellectual property is key to the successful commercialisation of technology.
The Benefits of IP Protection
A patent gives you the right to stop others from copying, manufacturing, selling, and importing your invention without your permission. The existence of your patent may be enough on its own to stop others from trying to exploit your invention. If it does not, it gives you the right to take legal action to stop them exploiting your invention and to claim damages.
The patent also allows you to:
- Sell the invention and all the intellectual property (IP) rights
- License the invention to someone else but retain all the IP rights
- Discuss the invention with others in order to set up a business based around the invention.
Intellectual Property Strategy
A succesful intellectual property strategy can help a business to deliver their overall objective of maximising protection and wealth creating opportunities through direct exploitation of intellectual property and/or through licensing and sub-licensing.
The basic process begins with a baseline audit of a bsuiness's current patent portfolio, patents granted, patents licensed and patent application, trademarks and design drawings as well as intangible assets such as know-how. An internal valuation of each piece of IP will be made in order to allocate resource and identify those areas where further patent protection is required.
Together with a careful management of IP costs, new patents covering novel processes, process improvements and applications into the future can be the basis of business survival and growth.
This process can help to engender an innovation culture within a business as the relevance of the strategy to the future of ther business is disseminated. Where appropriate all staff can be encouraged to contribute ideas and inventions backed up by a process giving due recognition of each individuals contribution.
Freedom to Operate
'Ensuring that the commercial production, marketing and use of their new product, process or service does not infringe the intellectual property rights of others'.
A major risk for any company, particularly companies in technology sectors in which there is extensive patenting, is that the commercialisation of a new product or technology may be blocked by a competitor holding a patent over a technology that is incorporated in the new product. In extreme scenarios, there may be "essential patents" that are indispensable for developing certain types of products or for meeting certain technical standards.
Patent litigation can be an expensive, uncertain and risky business, and, clearly prevention is always better than cure.
Evaluation of the competitive patent position will allow clear business decisions to be made, for example:
- Carry on with exploitation without fear of litigation
- License or cross-license a key patent(s) in order progress business plan
- Modify R & D programme in order to invent around existing IP
- IP Dossier in order to deflect threat off litigation/injunctions
IP Valuation
Value assessment is not an accounting operation but rather an attempt to assess information relating to an IP or business project, such as development costs, expectation of income, comparative advantages and market data, for the purpose of making better strategic decisions. The valuation process can take into consideration the impact of IP not only on projects and products but also on the company’s operation and on its competitive position as a whole.
Benefits of value assessment
Targeted valuation of IP, technologies and products can generate significant awareness and incremental value throughout the organisation by helping companies to:
- Choose between market opportunities;
- More effectively protect and leverage the IP portfolio and important technology necessary to capture innovation and future growth;
- Develop a strategy for IP development and protection that is closely aligned with the company’s overall strategic goals;
- Identify un-tapped value and revenue opportunities;
- Compare and select projects for the best allocation of the development budget;
- Better utilise the IP portfolio through various commercialisation avenues such as licensing, donation, joint ventures, divestiture, transfer to suppliers, set-up of subsidiaries, spin-offs, etc.
- Justify a return on investment for technology and patents;
- Reflect overall company value more accurately on financial statements.
Identifying intangible assets
The categories of intangible assets most commonly valued include:
- Industrial Property: patents covering products or processes, trademarks and service marks;
- Brands: marks, consumer goods, corporate names and identity;
- Copyrights: computer software, documentation of processes and business methods, etc;
- Publishing Rights: magazines, books, film and music rights;
- Licenses: television and radio, franchises, distribution rights; and
- Know-how.
Intangible assets protected by industrial property laws are documented and disclosed to the public. Valuable know-how are generally held as trade secrets within the organisation and disclosed to licensees and partners confidentially.
(extract from Sylvain Roy's - How Much is Your IP Worth)
Business Planning
It is essential to have a realistic, working business plan when you're starting up a business or spinning out a new venture from an existing business or University.
A business plan is a written document that describes a business, its objectives, its strategies, the market it is in and its financial forecasts.
When comtemplating starting an new business venture you may begin to collect the supporting information that gives you the confidence to forge ahead. Burgundy Gold can help you assess this information and where necesary fill the gaps that may be required to convince you and others that your business is worthy of investment, whether this is in the form of your own time and money or if you are looking for bank, venture capital or business angel funding.
Burgundy Gold will help to review the Market Opportunity, compile Market Statistics, assess the Intellectual Property position and develop both the Technology Development Plan and the Financial Strategy to make your business a success and present the information in an easy to follow style which is accesible to both you and any other potential investor.
The Busines Plan Structure
A good business plan will contain the following:
Executive Summary
This is an overview of the business you want to start. It is the most important section of the plan. Many banks, VCs and angel investors make judgments about your business based on this section of the plan alone.
Background and Introduction
This part of the plan sets out your vision for your new business and includes who you are, what you do, what you have to offer and the market you want to address. This section will detail an overview of the business and will set the seen as to how you got to where you are today. For example where did the idea come from, have you invented or acquired the rights to the technology or business idea, and clearly set out your vision for the business opportunity and how you are going to make it happen.
In summary the plan must describe what is unique about the business opportunity and what benefits does it deliver to the potential customer, be that a consumer or another business.
The Team
This section describes the people involved, their experience/track record, qualifications and the organisational structure that will help deliver the business plan.
Particularly where the business is looking for external funding the Team can be considered to be as important if not more so than the Technology or Business Idea.
Rationale/Approach
This section describes you technology, products or business idea, and should include a clear explanation of the unique approach in comparison with what has conventionally taken place in your market place.
Intellectual Property
Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Designs.
Has the idea been patent protected? Are you free to operate in your market sector? Who owns/invented the intellectual property? What license agreements or other contracts cover the exploitation of the intellectual property?
Market Opportunity
In this section the plan must describe the marketplace the business plans to operate in and that the Directors understand any important trends and drivers. Key areas to cover include the market size, historical data about its development and significant current issues. What portion of the market can you reasonably expect to capture?
Competitors
Describe what others have done in the same market place. If they have been successful, how did they achieve success? Why is the business approach different from the competition? Good evidence that others have made money in the sector will encourage investment.
Business strategy
Short Term - next 2 years and Longer Term - 2-5 years.
What is your business model, business to consumer, business to business, product development and sales or technology licensing, all or any are possible as long as the numbers stack up.
Technical Plan
At what stage is your technology today and what if anything do you need to do to get it to market. How long will it take and what investment is required, who will be doing the research, internal or sub-contracted, what other resources are necessary? How will the technical plan be managed?
The technical plan could equally describe the production/manufacturing route or the development of infrastructure that allows you to bring a product or an idea to market.
Financial Plan
A detailed forecast of the financial performance of the business including all projected costs and sales/license revenue. Where appropriate this will include external funding needs and timescales.
Exit
This may not be something you have thought about at this early stage. However if you are looking for investment, investors would like to know how and when they will get a return on their money. Exit can take a number of forms, for example a trade sale to a competitor or another business looking to get into your market sector. Alternatively, you can float the business on the stock market (AIM) or Main Market in order to get liquidity in the share stock.
Funding
Funding Strategy
All businesses require funding/injections of capitol at different stages during their lifetime.
At any stage in a business cycle Burgundy Gold can help to assess funding needs and develop a funding strategy and where appropriate can assist directly in raising money be it from investors or through application for Government Grants.
Technology Translation
There are many investors looking to invest is good innovative technologies and ideas. However, in too many cases the inventor or business leader fail to get their message across as they overcomplicate their story or talk solely in jargon. Alternatively they often concentrate on the technology without explaining how the investor is going to make a return.
Burgundy Gold can help to translate the message, concentrating on problem solving, benefit and potential revenue. As the message must be captured in a number of forms in order to gain the highest possible impact Burgundy Gold offer the complete range of marketing communication support.
Investor Briefing Notes
Targeted Websites
Powerpoint Presentations - Content and Templates
Where required Burgundy Gold can actively present the information to Fund Managers or can coach company directors in making their pitch successfully.
Venture Capital/Business Angel Funding
The Burgundy Gold Team has a wide experience of UK and International Venture Capital and Business Angel Networks. Within th UK we have particular experience of approximately 30 early stage funds both nationally and regionally.
Grant Funding
There are a number of opportunities within the UK for businesses to obtain grant funding in order to support the development of their business. Burgundy Gold can assist in compiling the grant application, locating collaborative partners and research providers where necessary and project managing the successful grant application if the company does not have sufficient internal resource.
Some examples of possible grant funding include:
Grant for Research and Development
Grant for R&D is designed to help individuals and small and medium-sized businesses research and develop technologically innovative products and processes.
The following help is available:
- Micro Projects are simple low cost development projects lasting no longer than 12 months. The output should be a simple prototype of a novel or innovative product or process. A grant of up to £20,000 is available to businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
- Research Projects typically involve planned research or critical investigation lasting between 6 and 18 months. The result of the project could be new scientific or technical knowledge that may be useful in developing a new product or process. A grant of up to £100,000 is available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
- Development Projects involve the shaping of industrial research into a pre-production prototype of a technologically innovative product or industrial process. A grant of up to £250,000 is available for businesses with fewer than 250 employees.
- Exceptional Projects involve technology developments which have higher costs. These projects are likely to generate much wider economic benefits and must have strategic importance for a technology or industrial sector. A grant of up to £500,000 is available to businesses with fewer than 250 employees.
Grants for R&D are available from Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). RDAs are responsible for appraising applications and deciding which projects to support in their region. They also pay grant claims and monitor the progress of supported projects
Technology Strategy Board
Collaborative Research and Development
Collaborative R&D is a primary delivery mechanism of the UK Government's Technology Strategy. It is designed to assist the industrial and research communities to work together on R&D projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology - from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge. Regular competitions for funding of Collaborative R&D projects have been held since 2004, and by June 2007 a portfolio of over 600 projects was being supported with a combined business and Government investment in excess of £900 million. In the past year the scope of the Collaborative R&D competitions has been expanded to support large projects as well as smaller projects approved within faster timescales.
The Technology Strategy Board has identified six Key Technology Areas, priorities identified through consultation with business, which help set the priorities for Collaborative R&D and develop a longer lead-time for future competitions.
The Key Technology Areas are:
Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Materials
Bioscience
Electronics, Photonics & Electrical Technologies
Information and Communication Technologies
Carbon Trust
Applied Research Grant funding is available to businesses and research institutions and aims to support the development and commercialisation of technology with the potential to reduce UK carbon dioxide emissions. As such we are endeavoring to encourage and support the progress of low carbon technologies towards large scale deployment.
When a call-for-proposals is open you can apply on-line for a grant of up to £250K towards the cost of your project. A minimum 40% match funding is required, and, to be successful your project must demonstrate:
Genuine innovation and the potential to contribute to substantial reductions in UK greenhouse gas emissions
That the work is a well planned and builds on previous work in the area
That the results of the work will allow a clear step forward on the path towards commercialisation
That it represents good value for money
Provides demonstrative benefit to the UK
The Carbon Trust operates a two stage application process, with a competitive element at both stages. To date all of our calls have been substantially over-subscribed and competition has been intense. Successful projects closely match our selection criteria and only those proposals that make a strong case against all of the criteria have the prospect of progressing to the next stage in the process.
There are two stages to the application process: initial on-line application, followed by full proposal. we use independent, external assessors to help inform our decisions and selection for funding is extremely competitive. The final decision rests with the Carbon Trust and is not subject to appeal.
- Marketing Technology (12/12/2007)
- IP Due Diligence (14/1/2008)
- Business Planning (14/1/2008)
- Funding (14/1/2008)
- Microencapsulation (07/10/2009)
- Project Management (07/10/2009)