Invent Anything – PodClips

Invent Anything

In this series, John Cronin shares insights relating to invention, creativity, and intellectual property collected over 17 years at IBM (becoming its top inventor with over 100 patents and 150 patent publications) and 23 years as managing director of ipCapital Group (working with over 800 companies and approximately 15% of the Fortune 500, hundreds of mid-size companies and hundreds of startups and governmental laboratories).

The Perceived Value of Intellectual Property

August 4, 2026

Season 01 Episode 73
In this episode of Invent Anything, John Cronin explores one of the most powerful ideas in IP strategy: the perceived value of intellectual property. Drawing on 30+ years and thousands of clients at ipCapital Group, John explains how patents evolve from a legal right into a strategic business asset, and why litigation, the reason most people think patents exist, is actually the last resort.

Explore How Prototypes And AI Are Transforming The Prototyping Process

June 13, 2024

Season 01 Episode 49
In this episode, John Cronin explains the symbiotic relationship between patents and prototypes. Learn how prototyping can enhance your intellectual property (IP) and vice versa. Discover the advancements in prototyping technology, from AI integration to 3D printing, making the process faster, cheaper, and more effective.

How to Sell Your Patent – Part 2

December 22, 2023

Season 01 Episode 39
Get ready for an enlightening episode of Invent Anything! In Part 2 of our series on selling patents, we’ll be providing a detailed guide to the art and strategy of patent sales. Whether you’re a veteran inventor looking to make the most of your portfolio or a newbie just starting in the patent world, this episode has insights for everyone.

How to Sell Your Patent – Part 1

December 22, 2023

Season 01 Episode 38
In this episode, John guides us through the process of selling a patent, starting with The Basics, navigating through Patent Citations, Press Releases, Patent Valuation, Trojan Horses, and finally, Selling to Large Companies. From start to end, John ensures a comprehensive, educational, and practical approach to selling your patent in this first part of a two-part series.

How Provisional Patents Fuel Innovation and Success from Every Angle

April 25, 2023

Season 01 Episode 36
In this episode of Invent Anything, we dive deep into the world of provisional patents and explore how they can drive innovation, protect intellectual property, and catalyze success for board members, investors, CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, and inventors alike. Tune in now to harness the power of provisional patents and supercharge your path to success!

Revitalize Your Business with IP Strategies: Part 2

April 24, 2023

Season 01 Episode 35
Continue your journey to transform your business with Intellectual Property in Part 2. Learn how IP can reduce risk, minimize liability, save money, attract valuable partners, and secure funding. Don’t miss these expert insights and success stories.

Breathing New Life into Your Business with IP Strategies – Part 1

April 23, 2023

Season 01 Episode 34
Discover how Intellectual Property can revitalize your business by improving employee morale, boosting sales, strengthening your brand, fostering innovation, and enhancing business relationships. Tune in for ten actionable tips to harness the power of IP.

Get More Patents with Invention On Demand

February 9, 2023

Season 01 Episode 32
What if there was a way to create more inventions in less time with lower costs that empowered your team to be more creative and gave your business leverage over competitors and partners? Revolutionize your business with the power of Invention On Demand – say goodbye to limits and hello to limitless possibilities!

IP Analytics: Data-Based Patent Strategy

February 1, 2023

Season 01 Episode 31
In this episode, John discusses IP Analytics, which allows you to use data from the patent office to find unique and valuable insights. IP Analysis can provide new directions for R&D, positioning your company against (or protecting your company from) a competitor, and increasing the value of your company in a merger or acquisition.

Understanding Your IP Landscape

January 27, 2023

Season 01 Episode 30
To truly know your business, you need to understand your IP Landscape. How do your business, market, product, and technology fit into the world’s intellectual property system? Find out in today’s episode.

Unlock Hidden Intellectual Property with the ipScan

December 6, 2022

Season 01 Episode 29
Do you work with an innovative team but can’t figure out why they never produce any IP, like patents and trade secrets? Many inventors have lots of great ideas but seem to have trouble getting them out of their heads, onto paper, and filed with the patent office. The ipScan is here to help and has been used for over 25 years to extract and unlock the hidden value in inventive teams.

How to Invent Around Any Patent or Technology

October 24, 2022

Season 01 Episode 28
Is there a patent stopping your business from moving forward or increasing market share? Do you have a new technology or patent that you think will be valuable but worry your competitors might be able to figure out how to get the same benefits without you? In this episode, John Cronin will explain how any patent can be invented around so that it’s harder for competitors to get around you.

How to Stop Copycats from Using Your IP

July 4, 2022

Season 01 Episode 27
In today’s episode, John will teach you how to deal with copycat companies and win the war against IP infringement. If you’ve invested time and money into your technology, the last thing you want is another company profiting off your hard-earned developments. Whether you need to prepare for this possibility or arm yourself to deal with copycat issues immediately, this episode will give you the tools to succeed.

Does Your Business Need Intellectual Property?

June 10, 2022

Season 01 Episode 26
In this episode, John explores the types of businesses that may or may not need intellectual property (IP), like patents and trade secrets. Learn whether your business needs IP to protect its business model or if filing patents will just increase expenses.

How to Write Provisional Patent Applications

May 27, 2022

Season 01 Episode 25
In today’s episode, John discusses the process of creating a powerful intellectual property tool: provisional patent applications. Provisional applications can be leveraged in many situations and offer strategic advantages to businesses and inventors.

Telling Your IP Story to Investors and the Market

May 21, 2022

Season 01 Episode 24
Developing intellectual property can be difficult and costly, so how do you communicate the value that IP offers to a business and market? In this episode, John will teach you how to tell your IP Story to get the most value out of your intellectual property, like patents and trade secrets.

What To Do When Your Patent Is Infringed

May 10, 2022

Season 01 Episode 23
What do you do when you find out your patent is being infringed? Many companies with sizeable or even small but important patent portfolios have asked themselves this very question. In this episode of Invent Anything, John answers many of the common questions that patent owners have when they think someone is using their invention illegally.

Prior Art For Invention: The Journey You Should Start Packing For

March 6, 2022

Season 01 Episode 22
In this episode, John discusses important issues surrounding prior art from many perspectives: not just how the patent office views prior art, but how to understand how prior art impacts inventors and businesses.

IP Strategy for Businesses and Inventors

March 4, 2022

Season 01 Episode 21
In this episode, John will teach you the basics of Intellectual property (IP) strategy and intellectual asset management. By leveraging data, best practices, and game-winning strategy throughout your process, IP strategy can leverage your business unlike any other type of asset.

IP Due Diligence to Enhance Company Value

February 9, 2022

Season 01 Episode 20
Due Diligence on a company’s intellectual property can become the cornerstone of valuing a business for investment and fundraising, as well as for mergers and acquisitions. However, without the right strategy, many companies stumble on this crucial step. In this episode, we will cover everything you need to know to get started on your IP Due Diligence journey.

How to Make Money with Patents

January 19, 2022

Season 01 Episode 19
In this episode, John discusses the many ways of monetizing – or making money with – a patent portfolio. To be successful with a patent monetization strategy, you’ll need a systematic approach. John speaks from decades of experience in intellectual property deals and licensing with ipCapital Group and while at IBM.

How Much is a Patent Worth?

January 18, 2022

Season 01 Episode 18
In this episode, we will discuss how to figure out how much a patent is worth. This episode will cover six topics relating to patent valuation.

Should Corporations Keep Inventing? An Interview with John Cronin and Mark Alyn Pt. 2

October 14, 2021

Season 01 Episode 17
In Part 2 of his interview with Mark Alyn, John recalls building a “patent factory” during his tenure with IBM as a semiconductor engineer in the technology development department. John and Mark also discuss the question, “Do corporations need to continue to invent?” It may seem obvious that the definitive answer is “Yes.”

Teaching the World to Invent – An Interview with John Cronin and Mark Alyn Pt. 1

October 13, 2021

Season 01 Episode 16
In this special episode, Mark Alyn interviews host John Cronin about John’s background and what lead to his career as an inventor, starting from childhood to becoming the top inventor at IBM to founding ipCapital Group.

Evidence of Use: Detecting Patent Infringement

October 7, 2021

Season 01 Episode 15
In this episode, John discusses when patent owners should consider getting an ‘Evidence of Use’ (EoU) opinion. Evidence of use is a process of collecting material evidence that an outside party may be practicing the technology claimed in a patent.

Avoid Patent Infringement with Freedom to Operate

September 1, 2021

Season 01 Episode 14
In this episode, we’ll cover freedom to operate (FTO), what it is, and the many strategies that you can use to gain leverage for your company.

Invention vs. Innovation – What’s the Difference?

July 28, 2021

Season 01 Episode 13
Invention is the key tool driving innovation. In this episode, John provides a clear differentiation of invention and innovation that, once understood, could transform your business.

The Secret Weapon of IP: Enabled Publications

July 12, 2021

Season 01 Episode 12
In this episode, you will learn everything you need to know about enabled publications. Often erroneously called “defensive publications,” Enabled Publications offer a secret and powerful weapon in your IP arsenal.

Using Trade Secrets to Create Tremendous Value

June 9, 2021

Season 01 Episode 11
In this episode, John unveils the power of trade secrets for your business. This episode answers questions like: What are trade secrets? How do you protect trade secrets? How to leverage trade secrets in business? And even how to create new trade secrets for your business.

6 Ways of Making Money with Patents

May 25, 2021

Season 01 Episode 10
In this episode, we will learn the six ways to make money with patents. Patents are expensive to obtain, and many inventors and executives want to maximize their ROI from intellectual property.

How to Raise Money and Increase Valuation Using IP

May 20, 2021

Season 01 Episode 09
In this episode, we will discuss raising more money at a higher valuation using intellectual property. CEOs, founders, CTOs, etc. who are considering raising money may consider using a unique strategy of leveraging IP to tell a better story to investors.

How to Get a Patent On Your Invention

May 12, 2021

Season 01 Episode 08
In this episode, John discusses how to get a patent on your invention. This episode covers everything you need to know to get your first patent.

What is a Patent (and What Can it Do for You)?

April 6, 2021

Season 01 Episode 07
If you’ve ever wondered what a patent really is, the rights that it gives you, and what they mean for your business, you’re in the right place.

Enablement for Patents and Intellectual Property

March 30, 2021

Season 01 Episode 06
In this episode, John discusses the technical details behind the process of ‘enablement’ – taking the invention from the conceptual stage to describing how it will work in practice.

Types of Creativity: Continuous Improvement

March 23, 2021

Season 01 Episode 05
How can you take an invention from the early idea stage to something that will work and have value?

Types of Creativity: Associative Thinking

March 16, 2021

Season 01 Episode 04
Associative thinking is one of the most powerful creative tools for inventors. By combining different objects, ideas, and methods, new inventions can be made by making novel connections with your mind.

Strategy – Patent Infringement

March 9, 2021

Season 01
Strategy In this episode, we will cover a very important problem in the intellectual property space: what happens when a business has just been threatened. A close competitor recently received a very broad patent, and the first company believes the second company is violating the patent. Now what do they do?

Types of Creativity: Divergent and Convergent

March 2, 2021

Season 01 Episode 03
In the third installment, John discusses two major types of creativity: divergent and convergent.

The Fundamentals of Creativity for Invention

February 23, 2021

Season 01 Episode 02
In this episode, John explains the fundamental ideas that underpin any creative process.

Creativity, Invention, and Intellectual Property

February 16, 2021

Season 01 Episode 01
In the introductory episode, John discusses his background, topics that will be covered in future episodes, and his motivations for starting the series. Also discussed are different points of view on IP issues, from the employees, managers, executives, and IP attorneys.