Startup Excellence Award

By: Josh Sloat

2023 RISE Award: Free Patent Protection

​So many innovators need great patent protection at the time when they can least afford it. This is one of many reasons we're excited to announce that we're now officially accepting applications for the 4th Annual Recognition for Innovative Startup Excellence (RISE) Award! For the selected applicant, we will work closely with you and your team of inventors to provide one of the following:

• A free provisional U.S. patent application or 
  
• $5,000 towards a non-provisional U.S. patent application

​We'll be accepting applications through the month and announcing the winner later this summer. 
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Protect Before You Pitch

It's tempting to overlook the expense of patenting, especially before you've secured funds, but one of the biggest mistakes we regularly see from inventors is publicly disclosing their idea before filing for patent protection. This comes with tremendous risk. You can lose all ability for international protection and potentially for the U.S., as well, depending on timing. Further, most investors are not willing to sign NDAs, so when pitching, you have little to no protection when sharing your idea if you haven't first applied for a patent. If you're thinking about taking your idea public or approaching investors, but financial constraints have you waiting on patents, you should strongly consider this award.

Past Winners

To learn more about the history of this award, it's past winners, and how it's helped in their innovation journeys, check out our Inventor Stories episode from Season Two of the Patently Strategic Podcast. 

Apply Now!

We're taking applications starting now and going through June 30th. Click the button below to apply using our simple application and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. Good luck and we can't wait to learn more about you and your innovations!
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Apply for RISE