Intellectual Ventures (iv)

What is Intellectual Ventures (iv)?

Intellectual Ventures is a Seattle-based 'Invention Capitalist' firm, distinct in its strategy focusing on the funding and creation of new inventions rather than merely investing in existing ideas and companies. Founded in 2000 by Nathan Myhrvold, Edward Jung, Peter Detkin, and Gregory Gorder, the company believes in combining capitalism and invention for global benefit and shareholder returns, promoting the creation of both financial rewards and broader societal inventions.

Engaging in the conception and patenting of internal ideas as well as investing in external inventions, the firm supports a wide pool of innovators, including those from universities and research labs. Intellectual Ventures operates on a global scale and delves into over 30 technological areas such as hardware, software, consumer electronics, digital imaging, medical devices, and energy.

Its strategies are adaptive, including licensing, spinouts, and joint ventures, all while considering the culture of the industry, market timing, and opportunities. With over $5 billion raised to date, the firm continually evaluates its procedures to maximize invention monetization.

The Intellectual Ventures Laboratory in Belleville, Washington, which is over 27,500 square feet, allows the firm to enhance research and prototyping partnerships. A notable agreement with SAP AG underlines its stance on intellectual property, allowing SAP to access its expansive patent portfolio.

Furthermore, the firm's website highlights its belief in incubating and commercializing impactful inventions, with a focus on leading technological advances and working with world-class inventors.

Nathan Myhrvold, the company's leader, contributes to the technological edge IV maintains for its global market ventures. The company prides itself on fostering a culture of discovery where 'impossible ideas' are explored and encourages constant evolution and radical innovation via its Invention Science Fund, which has launched over 15 new companies.