Ask HN: Do provisional patents matter for early-stage startups?

I am a solo founder building in AI B2B infra.

I am filing provisional patents on some core technical approaches so I can share more openly with early design partners and investors.

Curious from folks who have raised Pre-Seed/Seed or worked with early-stage companies: - Do provisionals meaningfully help in fundraising or partnerships? - Or were they mostly noise until later rounds / real traction?

I am trying to calibrate how much time/energy to put into IP vs just shipping + user traction at this stage.

Would love to hear real world experiences.

18 points | by gdad 9 hours ago

8 comments

  • SkyPuncher 8 hours ago
    There are exceptions to ever rule, but generally patents are (1) not incredibly important in software (2) solving a question that's secondary.

    The biggest risk to building a startup isn't "can I build this thing" (feasibility risk). It's "will people even care if I build this thing" (value risk) then "can I do it in a way people use" (usability risk). Patents help solve business risk, but that's generally considered to be the 4th (and last) of the risks.

    There are exceptions where patents do need to be filed first or the business viability dies. However, I generally assume that if you've addressed value, usability, and feasibility risks to create something truly meaningful, your competitors will find a work around to deliver the same value, usability, and feasibility without infringing on your patent. Thus, patents, are nothing but a minor inconvenience. In some cases, the public filing of a patent, can give your competitors a leg up on competing with you.

    https://www.svpg.com/four-big-risks/

  • allinonetools_ 9 hours ago
    From what I have seen, early investors care far more about speed, adoption, and clarity of problem than provisionals. Patents help later, but at pre-seed/seed they rarely change a decision unless IP is the product. Shipping and learning usually wins.
    [-]
    • gdad 8 hours ago
      aligned. And that is also what i am focussed on. But a friend suggested this as an optionality and I am wondering if it makes sense.
  • hackitup7 9 hours ago
    Typically not much, but in practice if you truly have a unique technical moat it's easy enough that I'd get a provisional patent in place just in case.

    I would start accumulating patents at a gradual pace at around $100m ARR in preparation for IPO, assuming that you feel that is in the cards.

    [-]
    • gdad 8 hours ago
      Makes sense (do believe something big is on the cards). As a micro-entity, filing fees are nominal, so I guess it doesn't hurt.
  • apparent 8 hours ago
    Could make sense to file provisional patents, just to be able to say you have them. Expect no one will actually look at them. And remember that if you don't file a follow up within a certain time, they die.
  • wavemode 8 hours ago
    What are you delivering? A physical product into someone's hands? If so, a patent can make some sense. If not, don't bother - patents for software are rarely worth the paper they're printed on.
    [-]
    • gdad 8 hours ago
      Why do you say so? Software patents are rarely guarded? Or something else?
      [-]
      • wavemode 2 hours ago
        If you're in the US, look into relevant court cases[0][1][2]. The courts tend to hold that algorithms are not patentable - what is patentable would be an invented machine which uses a software algorithm as one of its components. But even then, the machine needs to have some other inventive, patentable physical component.

        (This sort of thing tend to confuse people since, the US patent office doesn't check for patent validity before granting patents. So there are a lot of companies that own invalid patents which have simply never been challenged in court.)

        If you live elsewhere you should look into the laws of your local jurisdiction, but many places have the same or similar legal doctrine.

        [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottschalk_v._Benson

        [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_v._Flook

        [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patents_under_United_...

      • PhotonHunter 5 hours ago
        In some verticals, like advanced materials or medical devices (outside of consumer/wellness at least), patents are expected.
  • josefritzishere 6 hours ago
    I work in IP. You can easily operate without patents. Patents cost money to file and maintain. Most patents exist only for marketing purposes. Enforcement also isn't cheap. So, unless the IP is perceived to be highly valuable, corporations don't bother filing the patent. Only a fraction of what's patentable ever gets patented.
    [-]
    • SOLAR_FIELDS 1 hour ago
      Well, there’s also the fact that some organizations actually tie career progression to patents authored by the company. My brother works for a company that offers multiple technical career pathways to promotion, and one of them is essentially “obtain a software patent”
  • annoyingnoob 8 hours ago
    You might consider a non-disclosure agreement with parties that you need to share things with.
    [-]
    • gdad 8 hours ago
      doesn't that put people off? Like in early conversations?
      [-]
      • josefritzishere 3 hours ago
        An MNDA is very common. There shouldn't be an issue.
  • hastanag 9 hours ago
    [dead]