Intellectual Ventures

What Intellectual Ventures does

Intellectual Ventures (IV) is a privately held invention and investment business founded in 2000 by Nathan Myhrvold, Edward Jung, Greg Gorder, and Peter Detkin, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The company operates a distinctive model in which it sources inventions from a global network of inventors and universities, develops them internally through structured Invention Sessions and its 87,000 sq. ft. IV Lab prototyping facility, and either licenses the resulting patents through its Invention Investment Fund or spins out standalone companies via the Invention Science Fund, Deep Science Fund, Enterprise Science Fund, and the Bill Gates-funded Global Good Fund. IV holds more than 35,000 IP assets across 16 technology areas, including wireless communications, semiconductors, autonomous vehicles, digital payments, security, and metamaterials, and has invested over $3 billion in patent acquisitions to build this portfolio.

The company's core revenue model is licensing and royalties from patents held in the Invention Investment Fund, supplemented by equity participation in spinout companies. Licensees include top global technology firms, with multi-year, individually negotiated agreements. IV has launched more than 15 spinouts including TerraPower (nuclear energy), Kymeta (metamaterial satellite antennas), Evolv Technology (AI-enabled security screening — IPO'd on NASDAQ in 2021), Echodyne (radar), Lumotive (LiDAR), Pivotal Commware (5G antennas), and Modern Hydrogen (clean energy); these spinouts have collectively raised over $700 million in venture funding. Technical capabilities span metamaterials engineering, deep learning computer vision for medical diagnostics (Autoscope, EasyScan GO for malaria; AVE for cervical cancer), high-temperature superconductivity, and synthetic data generation.

Go-to-market is enterprise direct sales for licensing and partnership-driven distribution for spinouts. Customer segments split across Fortune 500 corporations licensing patent rights, inventors/universities monetizing IP, and humanitarian organizations adopting Global Good technologies in low-resource settings. The company remains private under Myhrvold's leadership and continues to operate without public revenue disclosure, though it has generated over $2 billion in cumulative licensing revenue since inception.

Name

Intellectual Ventures

Legal name

Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC

Website

https://intellectualventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Intellectual Ventures is a private invention and investment business that creates, incubates, and commercializes inventions through patent licensing and spinout companies. It serves Fortune 500 firms via its patent portfolio and launches startups in energy, connectivity, security, and healthcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Licensing

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Licensing, Transactions & Technology Transfer (BPAHAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

Keywords

• Patent licensing services
• Intellectual property management
• Technology incubation
• Invention investment
• Spinout commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Patent Licensing: The Invention Investment Fund (IIF) offers licenses granting companies rights to patents in diverse technical categories acquired from independent inventors, universities, startups, small-and-medium-sized businesses, and Fortune 500 firms. IIF's patents have generated billions of dollars in licensing revenue over 20 years.
2. Spinout Equity: IV creates spinout companies from its inventions and holds equity positions. Evolv went public in 2021 (NASDAQ: EVLV), and spinouts have collectively raised over $700M in venture funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Intellectual Ventures is a global invention and investment business that creates, incubates, and commercializes impactful inventions. It operates the Invention Investment Fund (IIF), which manages one of the world's largest patent portfolios spanning 16 technology areas, licensing patents to Fortune 500 firms. The Invention Science Fund (ISF), Deep Science Fund, Enterprise Science Fund, and Global Good Fund drive new invention creation, while IV Lab provides rapid prototyping. Spinout companies commercialize inventions in nuclear energy, connectivity, security, LiDAR, and other areas.

Product overview

Intellectual Ventures is a global invention and investment business that creates, incubates, and commercializes impactful inventions through multiple interconnected funds and an internal laboratory. The core offerings include: the Invention Investment Fund (IIF) managing one of the world's largest patent portfolios across 16 technology areas; the Invention Science Fund (ISF) which has launched more than 15 spinout companies; the Deep Science Fund (2015) and Enterprise Science Fund (2023) pursuing high-risk scientific research; IV Lab providing prototyping capabilities; and the Global Good Fund for humanitarian technology. The company operates through spinout companies including TerraPower (nuclear energy), Kymeta (connectivity antennas), Evolv Technology (AI security screening), Echodyne (radar), Lumotive (LiDAR), and others spanning energy, communications, security, and healthcare sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IV Lab: Intellectual Ventures Laboratory - 87,000 sq. ft. research facility for rapid prototyping and invention development
• Invention Investment Fund (IIF)
• Invention Science Fund (ISF)
• Deep Science Fund
• Global Good
• Enterprise Science Fund

Products and services

• Invention Investment Fund (IIF) Patent licensing and portfolio management service offering licenses granting companies rights to patents in diverse technical categories from independent inventors, universities, startups, and Fortune 500 firms. Targets enterprises needing IP strategy and patent access.
• Invention Science Fund (ISF) Invention and commercialization program that runs Invention Sessions with top inventors to develop breakthrough technologies and launch spinout companies. Built the metamaterials technology platform that produced Kymeta, Evolv, Echodyne, Pivotal Commware, Lumotive, and other spinouts.
• Deep Science Fund High-risk scientific research and commercialization program across physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. Pursues transformative scientific ideas and develops them into commercial opportunities via an innovative research and development model.
• Enterprise Science Fund Investigates applications for ambitious inventions in advanced chemistry, physical sciences, and biomedical devices. Partners with prominent technical experts to commercialize ideas from the world's most prolific inventors.
• IV Lab 87,000-sq. ft. research and prototyping facility with over 100 scientists and engineers providing end-to-end invention prototyping services including electronics, manufacturing, scientific testing, welding, inspection, and product prototyping.
• Global Good Fund Humanitarian technology invention program inventing technologies for global health and development challenges in low-resource settings. Created technologies including vaccine storage devices, AI-powered diagnostic tools, and disease modeling capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2 billion in licensing revenue generated over 20 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• RPX CorporationflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021IIF closed a landmark licensing deal with RPX in January 2021, described as a major win for IV and a licensing blockbuster.
• AirbusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019Kymeta partnered with Airbus to deliver satellite connectivity to long distance buses throughout Peru with SmartBus demonstration.
• Access BiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019One-year research agreement to improve by 5-times the sensitivity of WHO-prequalified malaria diagnostic kits that detect HRP2-deleted Plasmodium falciparum parasites.
• J.P. SelectacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2018Global Good signed a licensing agreement with J.P. Selecta to manufacture and distribute a microbiological incubator (INCUDIGIT-SV 30) for laboratories in low-resource settings, designed to operate without reliable power supply.
• BURN ManufacturingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018Global Good partnered with BURN Manufacturing to co-develop a clean burning, affordable and fuel-efficient wood stove for sub-Saharan Africa.
• Amref Health AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with the largest Africa-based nonprofit to deliver the Worldwide E-Learning Course on Malaria Microscopy (WELCOMM) to laboratory professionals and health workers.
• MoticcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with microscope industry leader Motic to develop the EasyScan Go, an internet-networked AI-powered microscope that automatically scans, identifies and counts malaria parasites.
• Duke University / Dr. David SmithcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Collaboration with Dr. David Smith and Duke University to accelerate commercialization of metamaterials technology. This partnership resulted in the launch of Kymeta and three other metamaterials-based spinout companies. Dr. Smith describes this as a model for incubation and translation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pendrell Corporation: Intellectual property investment and advisory firm focused on acquiring and licensing patents — operates in the same non-practicing entity / IP investment niche as IV's IIF.
• Acacia Research: Public IP licensing and patent investment firm that acquires and licenses patent portfolios — same core IIF-style business model as Intellectual Ventures' Invention Investment Fund.
• RPX Corporation: Defensive patent aggregation and licensing platform — a strategic counterparty and sometimes competitor to IV; IV closed a landmark licensing deal with RPX in January 2021, illustrating direct overlap in patent licensing markets.
• InterDigital: Public R&D and patent licensing company focused on wireless and video technologies. Comparable to IV in monetizing a large patent portfolio via licensing and in operating a wireless-comms invention practice.
• Rambus: Designs and licenses semiconductor IP including memory and security interfaces — directly comparable to IV's semiconductor process/fabrication and security authentication patent verticals, with a similar licensing-and-spinout heritage.
• Xperi (formerly Tessera): IP licensing and technology development company with semiconductor packaging, media, and consumer electronics IP — directly comparable to IV in monetizing fundamental semiconductor and media patents through licensing.
• Quarterhill (formerly Wi-LAN): Patent licensing investment company that acquires and licenses technology IP across communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics — comparable in business model to IV's Invention Investment Fund.

Emerging players

• LOT Network: Defensive patent aggregation cooperative whose members pledge not to assert patents against each other — operates adjacent to IV's licensing business as a structural threat or potential counterparty.
• Allied Security Trust (AST): Non-profit defensive patent pool that purchases patents to prevent them from being asserted against members — another structural counterparty/threat to IV's licensing monetization model.

Others

• Xinova: Former IV subsidiary (spun out from the Invention Development Fund in 2007) operating a global inventor network — directly comparable in its invention-sourcing model and a historical extension of IV's own origination engine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IVinvents
• Facebookfacebook.com/intven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intellectual-ventures

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Intellectual Ventures