Angel Capital Association – Data Insights Monthly: A Quick Patent Due Diligence Checklist: Beware Provisional Patents

It is heartbreaking to see bad behavior by ‘inventors’ and their startup companies, but it occurs over and over again. Let this lesson be an example of the things you need to check anytime you are doing due diligence on an early-stage company.

First Pass at Due Diligence

Inventors/CEOs call every week looking for a loan using their patents as collateral. As is often the case, I request a list of patents ahead of time or I look them up. Typically, I look up patents based on the assignee, where I take a quick look at the portfolio.