TL;DR
Founder-Focused Approach: At Outlier Patent Attorneys, we operate with a startup-founder mindset, prioritizing business impact and aligning patent strategy with your business goals (fundraising, growth, and exit).
VC-Aligned IP Strategy: We craft intellectual property (IP) portfolios that impress investors and acquirers – boosting startup valuations, aiding fundraising, and enhancing defensibility in competitive markets.
Predictable, Transparent Pricing: Unlike traditional law firms with opaque hourly billing, Outlier offers more predictable costs and upfront guidance, ensuring no budget surprises – a critical need since startups prefer flat fees for cost certainty.
Deep Technical Expertise: The team’s technical fluency (with specialists in software, AI/ML, AR/VR, Medical Devices, Consumer Technologies, etc.) means your innovations are understood and captured accurately, avoiding miscommunication and over-complexity.
Fast & Data-Driven Execution: Leveraging a data-driven process, Outlier secures patent approvals at a far higher rate (90% vs 64% industry average) and with fewer rejections, saving time and money. This nimble execution matches the speed of startups.
Transparent Communication: Founders stay informed with clear, jargon-free updates and candid advice. Outlier’s proactive communication means no black-box legal process, addressing the #1 complaint startups have about lawyers – poor communication.
(In short, Outlier Patent Attorneys provides startup founders with strategic, efficient, and reliable patent protection that traditional firms can’t match.)
The Startup IP Dilemma: Why Traditional Firms Fall Short
Early to mid-stage tech startup founders often face a dilemma when seeking IP protection. We know patents and IP are crucial for defending their innovation and attracting investors, but working with traditional law firms can be frustrating. Common pain points include slow timelines, confusing legalese, unpredictable bills, and lawyers who don’t “get” startup culture. In fact, the biggest problem is that the skillset needed for a startup’s patents is not practiced in the conventional law firm. Traditional patent attorneys may be competent in filing patents for large corporations, but they often lack the strategic insight and agility that startups require. As one patent strategist noted, this gap can result in “very bad patents being written for startup companies” – patents that miss the mark in serving a startup’s business needs.
Consider communication and speed: Many founders have horror stories of lawyers who go radio-silent for weeks or deliver dense 100-page drafts without explaining what’s inside. It’s no surprise that poor communication is the number one complaint clients have about lawyers. Startups operate in a fast-paced, uncertain environment, and they need legal partners who keep up, not slow them down. Unfortunately, big law firms can be slow to mobilize (lengthy conflict checks, formalities) and may prioritize larger, established clients over a fledgling startup. This misalignment in mindset and priorities can leave founders feeling like they’re dragging an elephant into a sprint race.
Startup-Founder Mindset: Aligning Patents with Your Vision
Outlier Patent Attorneys was built to address these challenges by operating with a true startup-founder mindset. What does that mean in practice? It means the firm treats your patent strategy as a core part of your startup’s success, not a side legal task. Outlier’s team takes the time to understand your business model, market, and technology – essentially stepping into the founder’s shoes. By doing so, we identify the high-leverage patent opportunities that will add real value to your company, rather than just checking a box.
Traditional attorneys might simply ask for an invention disclosure and file a patent on whatever you hand them. In contrast, Outlier works collaboratively with founders to map the innovation to the broader business strategy. We ask questions like: Which aspects of your tech could create a competitive moat? Where in your product’s value chain can IP provide a chokehold on competitors? This mindset ensures that each patent filed isn’t just a legal document, but a strategic asset. As one client (a startup CEO) put it, “Outlier is all about creating value. Our entire process, from start to finish, was about maximizing the value of our company."
Crucially, a founder-friendly firm like Outlier also understands the resource constraints of a startup. We help right-size your IP strategy – you won’t be pressured to file dozens of patents when perhaps one or two well-crafted ones will suffice for now. By focusing on the most valuable, highest-impact inventions (and even identifying “hidden” inventions you hadn’t considered), we ensure your limited budget yields patents that truly count. This is a sharp contrast to the big-firm approach of “file everything and see what sticks.” For a startup, every patent matters and must pull its weight, and that’s exactly how Outlier approaches it.
VC-Aligned IP Strategy: Patents as Fundraising Fuel
It’s no secret that investors pay attention to intellectual property during fundraising and due diligence. A robust IP portfolio can boost a startup’s valuation and attractiveness to VCs. Outlier Patent Attorneys differentiates itself by explicitly aligning your IP strategy with your venture capital (VC) and growth strategy. This “VC-aligned IP” approach means we consider questions like: Will this patent make us more investable? How can our patents tell a story to potential investors or acquirers?
Many traditional firms don’t think this way – patents are often viewed in isolation from fundraising. However, studies show that startups with patent protection prior to VC funding tend to raise more money (investors often see patents as valuable intangible assets and a safeguard against competition). In fact, a young tech company might have up to 90% of its value tied to intangible assets like IP, so savvy investors prefer startups whose critical innovations are patented. Knowing this, Outlier helps founders strategize IP for fundraising milestones. For example, we might fast-track a critical patent application before a Series A round, so you can go into investor meetings able to say “patent pending” on your core technology. This provides reassurance to investors that your innovation is unique and defensible, reducing perceived risk.
Moreover, Outlier’s team uses tools like a VC benchmarking tool (as part of their data-driven approach) to understand how patents could influence different investors. This means you get insights into what types of patents or technological areas certain VCs care about. The result is an IP portfolio that not only protects your technology but also serves as a compelling part of your pitch. Patents are framed not just as legal protection, but as business assets that can drive growth. As a recent article on startup patent strategy noted, “patents are more than safeguards against competitors: they’re often attractive to investors and provide a competitive edge… paving the way for an eventual exit.” Outlier embodies this philosophy, helping you leverage patents offensively – to win funding, forge partnerships, and prepare for acquisition or IPO down the line.
Predictable Pricing: No More Budget Surprises
For cash-strapped startups, legal fees can be a black box. Traditional law firms often bill by the hour, making it hard to predict the total cost of drafting and prosecuting a patent. This unpredictability is more than a minor annoyance – it can wreak havoc on a startup’s budget and runway. It’s no wonder that startups generally prefer flat-fee structures because of the certainty of costs. With hourly billing, every email, every minor revision can increment the bill, and unforeseeable hurdles in the patent process (like extra examiner questions) mean you might burn thousands more than anticipated. The pain is real: one entrepreneur quipped that hiring a traditional patent attorney felt like “writing a blank check with my scarce startup funds.”
Outlier Patent Attorneys tackles this pain point head-on by offering predictable, transparent pricing. From the get-go, we strive to define the scope and cost of a patent project so founders can budget with confidence. In many cases, we utilize flat fees or capped fees for patent preparation and filing, eliminating the mystery. For instance, if you engage them to draft a patent application, you’ll know the cost upfront or at least a capped maximum – which means no nasty invoices that blow your cash flow projections. Additionally, Outlier leverages analytics to forecast the likely prosecution timeline and expenses: their data-driven tools can predict the odds of patent office rejections and even estimate the associated response costs.
Armed with these insights, we can give clients a realistic expectation of total cost before embarking on the process.
This level of cost transparency is rare in the legal industry. It reflects Outlier’s understanding that startups need to allocate resources carefully. Importantly, cost predictability doesn’t come at the expense of quality. In fact, Outlier’s success in minimizing patent rejections (discussed in the next section) directly saves founders money. Fewer rejections mean fewer expensive legal responses to the patent office and less money spent overall on a given patent. On average, Outlier’s clients save about $9,000 per patent application because their patents are allowed with fewer rejections. That’s a tangible financial advantage enabled by both their strategic acumen and fair pricing practices. In short, Outlier ensures that protecting your innovation is an investment with a clear upfront cost and a high ROI – not a leap into the unknown.
Technical Fluency: Experts Who Get Your Technology
Tech startup founders are often experts in their domain – whether it’s AI, biotechnology, robotics, SaaS, or another cutting-edge field. They need lawyers who can keep up with complex technical discussions. One common frustration with generalist patent attorneys (or those not deeply versed in a startup’s technology) is technical misunderstandings – you spend precious hours explaining your invention, only to find the patent draft misses the nuance or uses incorrect terminology. In the worst cases, a lack of technical depth can lead to patents that don’t fully cover the innovation, leaving gaps for competitors.
Outlier Patent Attorneys prides itself on technical fluency. Their team includes professionals with advanced degrees and industry experience in a variety of tech sectors (from computer science and software engineering to biochemistry and medical devices).
This means when you sit down with an Outlier attorney, you’re likely talking to someone who speaks your language – literally. If you’re an AI startup, you might work with a patent attorney who has a background in software or data science. If you’re building a new medical device, your attorney could be a Ph.D. in bioengineering. This alignment makes the patent drafting process faster and more accurate, because the attorney already understands the jargon and context of your innovation.
Technical fluency also translates to stronger patents. A knowledgeable attorney can anticipate variations and edge cases of your invention that a non-specialist might overlook. We can draft claims that cover not just your prototype, but likely future iterations or alternative implementations – fortifying your patent against design-arounds. Additionally, having a tech-savvy attorney reduces the back-and-forth needed to clarify basics, so you can delve into higher-level strategy sooner. There’s less risk of the “telephone game” errors where your idea gets lost in translation. Startups have found this incredibly valuable. As one founder observed, “my previous lawyer just didn’t grasp the machine learning aspect of our product; with Outlier, I finally felt understood.” The result is an IP portfolio that truly reflects your innovation’s brilliance.
Finally, technical expertise helps in dealing with the patent office efficiently. Outlier attorneys can engage in substantive, technical discussions with patent examiners to advocate for your application, often speaking peer-to-peer with examiners in highly specialized fields. This respect and understanding can smooth the path to allowance. It’s yet another way Outlier’s approach overcomes the hurdles that trip up less specialized firms. When your legal team “gets it,” you can move forward with confidence that your patents are on solid ground.
Fast Execution: Keeping Pace with Startup Speed
Startups run at breakneck speed – developing MVPs, iterating on user feedback, pivoting when necessary, and racing to beat competitors to market. In this environment, waiting 18 months just to file a patent or enduring endless prosecution delays can be untenable. Founders need IP protection executed quickly and efficiently, both to secure early filing dates and to show progress to stakeholders. Outlier Patent Attorneys recognizes the importance of speed and agility. We have optimized our process to deliver high-quality patents on startup timelines, not law firm timelines.
A key enabler of this fast execution is Outlier’s investment in data-driven tools and workflow efficiency. We use a three-step, tech-enabled process (business strategy analysis, patent landscaping, and patent prosecution analytics) to rapidly identify the best patent angles and preempt roadblocks. By front-loading strategic analysis with software tools, we can pinpoint “greenfield” patent opportunities faster meaning we quickly find areas where no patents exist yet, so your application sails through with less pushback. We also forecast potential examiner rejections in advance, allowing them to draft the application in a way that preempts those rejections. The payoff of this preparation is dramatically evident in their results.
"Outlier Patent Attorneys gets patents approved at a far higher rate than the industry norm. The chart above compares Outlier’s patent allowance rate (approvals) versus the industry average in software – 90% vs 64%. This data-driven approach means startup founders see their patents granted more often, which in turn validates Outlier’s fast and focused execution."
Not only are approvals more likely, but they’re often achieved faster and with less friction. Industry-wide, the average tech patent application faces multiple rounds of rejection (about 4.2 rejections on average in software) which can drag out the process. In contrast, Outlier’s strategic filings average only 1.7 office action rejections before allowance. Fewer cycles of back-and-forth with the patent office mean your patent gets granted significantly sooner. It also means less time that you as a founder have to spend addressing legal issues and more time focusing on your product and customers. One client noted, “We love Outlier’s use of analytics. It helps our patents get accepted much faster, with fewer rejections, and more breadth.”
In practice, faster patent allowances can be a game-changer: you can mark your product as “patented” or “patent pending” earlier, deter copycats, and move forward on partnerships or licensing deals that might have been waiting on IP protection.
Fast execution isn’t just about patent office timing; it’s also about responsiveness to the founder. Outlier is structured to be nimble – their team can turn around drafts and revisions promptly, in days or weeks rather than months, because we aren’t bogged down by the layers of bureaucracy typical at big law firms. When you need a quick patentability assessment on a new feature before a product launch, we can deliver on startup time. When you pivot and the focus of your patent strategy needs to shift, we adapt swiftly. This agility ensures that your IP strategy is always in sync with your fast-moving business, not lagging behind it. With Outlier, you won’t be stuck in a holding pattern waiting for your attorneys to catch up. We’re running alongside you, helping you sprint ahead with the confidence that your IP is protected.
Transparent Communication: No Surprises, Just Clarity
Clear and frequent communication might sound like a “nice to have,” but for startup founders it’s often a make-or-break factor in a service provider. Traditional legal communication can be opaque – dense documents, sporadic updates, and a tendency to gloss over important details. This leaves founders feeling lost and anxious. Remember, half of clients who fire their lawyers cite communication problems as the reason. Outlier Patent Attorneys tackles this head-on by making transparency and responsiveness core to their client service.
From the start of your engagement, Outlier sets the tone with candid advice and plain-language explanations. If there are risks or low probabilities of success for a patent idea, we will tell you upfront (rather than just saying “sure, we can file that” and billing you). In fact, one founder recounts, “The Outlier team was upfront on our chances of success. They were able to tell us what was going to happen before it happened, so there weren’t any surprises.”
This proactive, no-surprises communication means you always know where your patent matters stand and what challenges might lie ahead. It’s a stark contrast to firms that might sugarcoat realities or keep clients in the dark until issues arise.
Outlier also embraces a modern communication style that suits startup culture. Expect regular check-ins, quick replies to emails, and the use of collaborative tools (we even have a client portal).
We don’t hide behind legal jargon. Instead, we interpret the legalese for you so that you fully understand your IP strategy and documents. This addresses the common founder complaint of lawyers using “overly technical language, which leaves clients feeling frustrated and confused”
With Outlier, if you’re not familiar with a term like “non-provisional continuation” or “office action,” we’ll gladly explain it and, more importantly, put it in context of your goals (e.g., “This step will likely add two months to the timeline, which might affect your fundraising schedule – let’s discuss how to mitigate that.”).
Moreover, Outlier’s founder-forward communication means we actively listen. Startups often have evolving priorities, and Outlier attorneys make it a point to hear those changes and adjust the plan accordingly. This kind of two-way communication fosters trust and a true partnership. It ensures that you as the founder remain in the driver’s seat of your IP strategy with full visibility, rather than feeling like patents are some black box being handled far away by strangers. In summary, transparent communication isn’t just a buzzword for Outlier – it’s a daily practice that keeps you informed, reduces stress, and builds confidence that your IP is in good hands.
IP Strategies for Key Startup Milestones
One way to appreciate Outlier’s value is to see how we support founders through critical startup milestones. Here are a few common scenarios where Outlier’s approach shines:
Securing Funding: When preparing for investor pitches or a fundraising round, Outlier ensures you have a compelling IP story. We help you identify and file patents on core innovations that investors will ask about, giving you concrete proof of defensibility. Strong patents can boost valuation and reassure investors that your innovation is unique and defensible.
By partnering with Outlier, founders go into pitch meetings ready to discuss how their IP gives them a competitive edge (and with the data to back it up).
Go-to-Market & Early Traction: As you approach product launch or scale your user base, Outlier works to secure “patent pending” status quickly on key features. This not only protects you if a competitor tries to copy your product, but also signals to customers and partners that you have protected technology. Outlier’s fast execution and understanding of tight budgets (using cost-effective provisional applications when appropriate) means your IP protection keeps pace with your go-to-market timeline You won’t have to delay a launch due to IP – we help you integrate IP milestones with your product roadmap seamlessly.
M&A and Exit Prep: If acquisition is on the horizon or even a long-term goal, Outlier helps make sure your patent portfolio can withstand the scrutiny of due diligence. Acquiring companies often conduct exhaustive reviews of a startup’s IP. With Outlier’s strategic patents in place, you’ll have high-value patents that can strengthen your negotiating position. In one case, a CEO noted that “Outlier’s approach to patents made a big difference in M&A conversations”
Patents drafted by Outlier routinely earn top marks in valuation assessments, meaning they could significantly enhance the price tag of your startup when it’s time to sell or merge. Essentially, Outlier helps you build an IP portfolio that is an asset on the balance sheet, not just a framed certificate on the wall.
Platform Defensibility: For startups building a platform or ecosystem, defending your turf is critical. Outlier’s “chokepoint” patenting strategy is ideal here – we identify the technical bottlenecks or must-use components in your platform and secure patents around them. This creates a defensive moat. Competitors or new entrants who try to replicate your model would hit patent roadblocks at these chokepoints. By excluding the right competitors through targeted filings, Outlier helps maintain your competitive advantage. This is especially important in sectors like SaaS platforms, marketplaces, or hardware/software combos where a few core processes drive the whole product. Outlier’s combination of technical depth and strategic foresight ensures those core processes are well protected.
Each of these scenarios shows a different facet of how Outlier adds value beyond just “filing paperwork.” We act as a strategic partner, anticipating the needs of your startup at each stage and crafting IP solutions to meet those needs. Whether it’s impressing a VC, launching with confidence, attracting a buyer, or warding off rivals, Outlier’s tailored approach to IP helps you hit these milestones with an ace up your sleeve.
Conclusion: A Founder-First IP Partner for Startup Success
Building a tech startup is hard enough – your intellectual property strategy shouldn’t be another headache. With Outlier Patent Attorneys, early to mid-stage founders get a partner who truly understands the startup journey. By combining the best of big-firm patent expertise with a lean, data-driven, and founder-forward philosophy, Outlier stands out as an ideal choice for startups aiming to protect their ideas and grow their business. We have reengineered the patent process around the needs of startups, delivering strategic patents that add value, without the usual friction and mystery of traditional firms.
In a world where innovation moves fast, Outlier helps you move faster – securing IP that can fuel your fundraising, fortify your market position, and ultimately increase your startup’s odds of success. Perhaps most importantly, we do it in a way that inspires confidence: transparent communication, predictable costs, and measurable results. Instead of feeling like you’ve handed your precious invention over to a black box, you’ll feel in control and supported every step of the way.
For tech founders seeking IP protection, the message is clear. You no longer have to choose between stodgy big law firms and unproven do-it-yourself options. There’s a third choice: a modern patent firm that thinks like a startup, speaks your language, and delivers like a business partner. That’s Outlier Patent Attorneys. With them by your side, you can focus on building the next big thing – knowing that your innovations are in the best possible hands, and well on their way to becoming lasting assets for your company’s future.