Author Archives: mwillee

Every small business should have a basic understanding of the laws that apply to protecting intellectual property. It is the only way a company will be able to protect their unique creations and ideas from competitors. There are four major ways a small business can obtain legal protection for intellectual property (IP).

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series provided a brief recap of the panel Mary sat on at SXSW V2V about alternative funding in the blog, “Alternative Funding From SXSW V2V: The Path Less Traveled.” Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading! When pitching to investors to fund your startup, it’s important to understand a keyContinue reading “Forbes Update: 5 Ways To Be The Savvy Entrepreneur Investors Look For”

While seeking funding from investors or being acquired, the first step most third parties conduct is due diligence. Diligence is basically an in-depth review of a business’ official and legal documents. In case of startups composed predominantly of intellectual property, diligence is conducted to assure that the intellectual property actually belongs to them, preventing futureContinue reading “IP Vault Best Practices: Manage and Store your Data”

Previously in our Intellectual Property (IP) Best Practices series, we introduced step nine to maximizing your IP: don’t infringe. Check back next Monday for a bonus tip, the last of this series. Don’t miss it! Finally, what all this blog series has been leading up to: Be prepared. Using a good strategy to protect intellectualContinue reading “IP Best Practices: Being Prepared and Organized Is Important, Step 10”

As a new Traker, I expected that in time I would be going to conferences and presenting what ID your IP and IP Vault are to people new to Traklight, but I didn’t expect for it to be so soon. Nonetheless, duty called for me to be present. Knowing that I usually psych myself outContinue reading “AZ Innovativation Summit 2014 Recap and My Experience”

When a company in the startup phase is contemplating protecting intellectual property (IP), there are several important steps to be taken. The first item on the list is realizing this is not a one-step process. Intellectual property is an idea, a theory, a plan of action, and a lot of other things. However, all ofContinue reading “Protecting Intellectual Property as a Startup”

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series highlighted the Jobs Act and Crowdfunding: Will They Finally ‘#ReleaseTheRules’? Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading! After recently moderating a panel with five CEOs, Mary asked each of them what lesson they learned in the pursuit of their own business innovations, and what advice they might pass along toContinue reading “Forbes Update: 5 CEOs Talk Innovation And Commercialization”

The word “bootcamp” doesn’t exactly conjure positive thoughts in the minds of most people. It’s associated with long days filled with exhausting exercises, followed by sleepless nights preparing for the next day. As pointless as it may seem while you’re going through it (and trust me, it does seem pointless), the ultimate point of bootcampContinue reading “Learn How to Crowdfund (and More) at the 3rd Annual GCCB”

The mobile app Angry Birds ranks as one of the most popular portable games of all time. Created by the Finnish game developers, Rovio Entertainment, it has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times and has inspired multiple iterations (including Star Wars and Transformers versions). For many, it’s a great way to pass the timeContinue reading “Artist Sues Pet Toy Company Over Angry Birds Trademark”

Previously on our Taking the Scary Out of Startup series, we discussed becoming an expert and paying it forward. Competition is a Good Thing When you do not have competition, you basically have no choice but to evangelize like a madwoman to get your company’s name and products out there.