In this, the final episode of season 2, I am joined by Charles Clark, founder of IP ARKITEK (https://www.ip-arkitek.com/).

We chat about the roles intellectual property can play in business and its relevance especially to small businesses. We touch on the building blocks of a practical IP strategy and the importance of ensuring that IP is not viewed in the abstract but seen as a key that can unlock aspects of your business plan.

And we hear Charles' own story, which took him from a young boy watching his dad tinkering with cars, through roles as a research engineer, to the world of patents (and IP more generally) that ultimately led to him founding IP ARKITEK. 

And we discover why Charles might just be the James Bond of the patent attorney world!

Charles Clark is an internationally recognised expert in IP strategy, having been included in the IAM300 of the World’s Leading IP Strategists since 2015. He has additional recognitions in the field, including being listed as an IP Star by MIP.

He has a degree in physics and qualified by exam in the UK and Europe as a patent attorney. Initially, after graduating university, Charles followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the UK’s MOD research and development establishment (later becoming QinetiQ), where he worked as a research scientist developing novel laser systems and optics for military applications and vehicle defence systems. This work brought him into contact with the world of IP and he pivoted his career to train as a patent attorney.

Over 20 years of his career were spent in-house where he gained first hand experience of  handling and managing IP in various business processes, such as initial public offerings (at the LSE and NASDAQ), all phases of acquisitions on the buy and sell side (identification, assessment and integration), divestments or exit planning, contracting or partnering with third parties, as well the day to day IP operations needed to build world class IP portfolios. Since 2008 he has been in leadership positions with different organisations in various sectors, including precision engineering, manufacturing, consumer goods and energy.

You can contact Charles via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkcharles/

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk 

In this episode I chat with Fiona Anderson of Innovate UK EDGE (Innovate UK EDGE), where she delivers a government funded programme that helps innovation-driven businesses to grow at pace and achieve their industry- and society-transforming ambitions.  

We talk about some of the key issues she sees for the businesses she helps and, along the way, we learn about Fiona's journey, with multiple stints in both South Africa and the UK, including how whilst at RBS she was involved setting up and managing a free people accelerator hub in Brighton (which was instrumental in assisting businesses raise over £17m of investment, creating over 400 jobs and turnover in excess of £72m), and her involvement back in her native South Africa with several entrepreneur accelerators, working as a mentor and programme manager for The African Women in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) - Fiona is an accredited women in business specialist and has assisted over 100 women owned businesses in the UK and South Africa to grow and scale.

Fiona has worked with over 1,000 early stage and high growth entrepreneurs, helping them to grow and scale through mentoring, coaching and investment readiness programs. She is passionate about entrepreneur development and creating impact and is adept at creating lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups, through her vast network and ability to connect people and businesses with key stakeholders and individuals.

Away from work, Fiona loves the outdoors, playing golf, walking and hiking around the beautiful Sussex countryside.

You can reach out to Fiona at: Fiona.Anderson@innovateukeddge.ukri.org
Or via these other channels ...
Twitter: @FionaAndersonAA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-anderson-uk/

And you can follow Innovate UK EDGE on LinkedIn (Innovate UK EDGE South East: About | LinkedIn ) and Twitter (@IUK_EDGE_SE)

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

In this episode I chat with Dr. Bryon Bhagwandin, Co-Founder and CEO of Recalibrate Solutions (https://www.recalibratesolutions.com/), about his journey from a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, through medical product development roles, executive roles in start-ups, to co-founder of Recalibrate Solutions, who are empowering physicians to eliminate toxic stress from the lives of children by monitoring stress system development with a 5-minute, disposable, saliva cortisol test.

We hear from Dr. Bhagwandin about the serious effects of toxic stress in children and his ambition to combat this problem, along with his thoughts around investment in MedTech businesses and the role that intellectual property plays, in particular the importance of having an IP strategy that goes beyond filing patents.

Dr. Bhagwandin has served as an executive for multiple start-up companies.  He has spent more than 20 years in medical product development, and possesses a remarkable combination of technical expertise, leadership, and business acumen. He has been awarded two degrees in physics and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. Dr. Bhagwandin has led multiple product development teams, successfully creating diagnostic, therapeutic, and drug-device combination products. Dr. Bhagwandin understands the unique business challenges that must be navigated by medical device companies – design-controls, quality-system compliance, internal review boards, clinical testing, regulatory submissions, insurance codes, reimbursement models, hospital purchasing-cycles, and marketing through scientific research and peer review publications – a truly unique space..

You can reach out to Dr. Bhagwandin via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonbhagwandin/ 

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk 

In this episode I chat with Bhairav Patel, Managing Director of Atom CTO (https://atomcto.com/), about how Atom helps start-ups and other small businesses with board level advice about technology strategy, their approach to investing in some of the businesses they work with and how, more recently, they have been building MVPs for their clients.

We cover everything from Bhairav's investment criteria to to the key characteristics he sees in the businesses they help who go on to be successful, touching along the way on one of Bhairav's latest ventures, DeFactor, who are working to enable businesses across the globe to access decentralised finance ("DeFi").

Bhairav has been in the tech industry for over 20 years and has worked as a CTO for a number of companies across the globe, including one that hit the Forbes FinTech 50 list. He currently acts as a startup advisor and virtual CTO working with businesses in the Blockchain, AgeTech, FinTech, EdTech and Mobility sectors.

You can reach out to Bhairav at: info@atomcto.com
Or via these other channels ...
Twitter: @b1rav 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhairavpatel/ 

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

In this episode I chat with Alex Zurita, Head of Sport Tech Hub for London Sport about the organisation's vision to make London the most physically active city in the world and how they act as the gateway between innovative ventures and the public sector, creating partnerships that get more people active.

We discuss the support Alex and his team offer to innovative businesses, from start-ups validating their initial product right through to scale-ups looking to grow in the UK or beyond, and hear about the community of entrepreneurs they are building, the importance of thorough research and evidence to back up a proposition for a new product, and much more!

In his role with London Sport, Alex has responsibility for shaping Sports Tech Hub's strategic commitments to supporting technology, data and digital initiatives designed to raise levels of participation in physical activity and sport in the capital and beyond.  He has led Sport Tech Hub’s delivery since inception, supporting over 31 tech ventures which, between them, have reached more than 130,000 Londoners and raised £4.2m of investment.

Alex joined London Sport in 2011 with brief stints as Great Britain Women’s Football Team Manager, and a secondment to the London Legacy Development Corporation as Programme Manager for the post-London 2012 legacy and multimillion-pound project - Active People, Active Park.  Having used technology and data while coaching football with grassroots and international players, Alex is a committed technophile, a widely-recognised advocate for the role of technology in boosting participation in physical activity and sport, and a champion of the importance of sport for the future health of London and its residents.

You can reach out to Alex at: alex.zurita@londonsport.org
Or via these other channels ...
Twitter: @jalexzurita
Twitter Sport Tech Hub: @SportTechHub
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-zurita/
LinkedIn Sport Tech Hub: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sporttechhub

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

Giovanni Lauricella is 'Mister MedTech', "the nexus for people, money and insight for the MedTech industry".  He has assisted in raising over $200 million for MedTech startups with a global network of investors. 

In this episode, I chat with Giovanni about his story, how he has helped numerous MedTech startups on their growth journey, the success of his own podcast ('MedTech Money') and the insights he has into the world of raising funds for startup businesses - 'good' money vs 'bad' money, the importance of relationships, the benefits of doing your homework before approaching investors .... and much more!

Giovanni has an impressive CV. He has a bachelors in finance and a masters in regulatory affairs, and has worked with MedTech startups to help them structure, recruit and hire Boards of Directors and technical commercial teams from the C-level to individual contributors. Giovanni's newly launched business, Lifeblood Capital, supports talent acquisition and fundraising strategies for MedTech startups

You can contact Giovanni at: giovanni@mistermedtech.com
Or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannilauricella/

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

In this episode I chat with Tanya Rolfe, co-founder of Sophia (https://www.sophiawomen.com/), about the path that led to her founding Sophia, including the challenges faced by women investors, and the mission Tanya and her co-founders are on, through Sophia, to increase early-stage investing among women and end the gender investing gap.

We hear Tanya's thoughts on the key ingredients investors are looking for in the businesses they fund, learn from the mistakes she has seen along the way and, at the end of the interview Tanya's shares her top piece of advice for women founders just starting out on their journey.

Following a 15-year legal career at some of the world’s largest law firms, eager to enter the world of venture, Tanya founded the Ladies Investment Club in Singapore shortly after moving there from the UK in 2017. Tanya grew a team of 40 female investors which enabled female investors to build their investment portfolio and credentials, while providing hard to access funding to female founders. 

In 2020, Tanya founded Her Capital, a female-led seed fund in Singapore investing in female-founded, scalable businesses.

Most recently, in early 2022, Tanya launched Sophia, an exciting new learning platform for women with a goal to increase financial education and diversity and inclusion in early-stage investing.

You can contact Tanya at: tanya@sophiawomen.com
Or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyarolfe/

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

In this episode I chat with Gareth Dimelow, Founder and Storyteller-In-Chief at Inside Stories (insidestories.guru).  We discuss how knowing and being able to communicate your 'story' in a way that is meaningful, memorable and moving (Gareth refers to the "three M's") forges stronger connections with staff, customers and investors. We hear how the story leads on to much more, touching along the way on topics as diverse as Hemingway and invisibility cloaks!

Having been both Strategic Director and Creative Lead within several international agency networks, Gareth has a unique combination of skillsets that make him a master storyteller. With almost twenty-five years of experience, working with many of the world’s most recognizable brands, Gareth is focused on helping companies unlock the DNA of their story, engage their communities, and build their business through the collaborative story-telling process. Used to bridging the gaps between knowledge, insight and creative expression, Gareth has developed robust communication platforms for a wide variety of clients, ranging from BBC, Samsung and GSK, to IBM, Toyota and Zumba.

With his business partner Terry Bower, Gareth founded Inside Stories to help businesses of all sizes truly understand their own potential, articulate their purpose and find a way of sharing it with the world.

Gareth and Terry can be contacted at:
gareth@insidestories.guru 
terry@insidestories.guru 


Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk