BlueIron IP
BlueIron IP is a Loveland, Colorado-based IP advisory practice founded by Russ Krajec offering IP-backed lending, fractional Chief IP Officer retainers, and patent portfolio services to US operating companies with $1M-$20M+ revenue and issued US patents. The principal-led firm caps engagement at 4-6 concurrent clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLoveland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BlueIron IP does
BlueIron IP is a principal-led intellectual property advisory practice founded in 2014 by Russ Krajec in Loveland, Colorado, operating as a deliberately small boutique serving US-domiciled companies with issued US patents. The firm offers two core engagement modes: (1) transactional services including IP-backed lending, portfolio valuation, acquisition and sale advisory, IP insurance placement, and enforcement assessment; and (2) ongoing fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) retainer engagements covering portfolio mapping, continuation strategy, filing thesis, and outside-counsel coordination. The lending practice operates from BlueIron's own fund or via syndication with partner lenders for larger deals, with revenue derived from loan interest and origination fees.
The underlying expertise is human domain knowledge rather than technology — Russ Krajec combines engineering training (RPI BS/MS Mechanical Engineering), a JD from University of Denver Sturm College of Law, USPTO registration, and CPVA certification with prior outside counsel experience at Fortune 10 companies, in-house IP counsel experience at a venture-backed startup managing ~100 patents, and a decade of lender-side IP-backed loan underwriting. The firm's proprietary assets are codified in the IP Portfolio Underwriting Standards (evaluating chain of title, revenue mapping, claim quality, detectability, and validity exposure), the IP Management Function Framework (positioning IP as an executive management function rather than a legal purchasing function), and the annotated Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP).
The business model is sales-led and principal-to-principal: prospects book 30-minute calls directly with Russ Krajec via Calendly, with no forms or intake queue. CIPO engagements require clients to have $1M+ in revenue; lending engagements require $5M+ revenue (typically $20M+) with at least one issued US patent; pre-revenue startups qualify with $10M+ in outside funding. Pricing is quote-based and per engagement, with CIPO billed on an annual retainer cadence. The practice is intentionally capped at 4-6 concurrent engagements. The firm is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and has no external funding, subsidiaries, parent company, or M&A activity. Supporting content assets include the 'Investing in Patents' book, 'Patent Myths' podcast, and 'The BlueIron Letter' newsletter, all functioning as thought leadership and inbound lead generation.
BlueIron IP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BlueIron IP
- Legal name
- BlueIron, LLC
- Website
- https://blueironip.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BlueIron IP is a Loveland, Colorado-based IP advisory practice founded by Russ Krajec offering IP-backed lending, fractional Chief IP Officer retainers, and patent portfolio services to US operating companies with $1M-$20M+ revenue and issued US patents. The principal-led firm caps engagement at 4-6 concurrent clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BlueIron IP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Patent Strategy & IP Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (53311)
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IP Valuation, Damages & Royalty Analysis (BPAHAMAH), Trade Secret Protection & IP Strategy (BPAHAMAD)
Keywords
Where BlueIron IP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Loveland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BlueIron IP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- IP-Backed Lending: Structured IP-backed loans using patent portfolios as collateral. Loans are written from BlueIron's own fund or syndicated with partner lenders for larger deals. Revenue comes from interest on loans and origination fees.
- Fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) Retainer: Ongoing strategic engagement providing portfolio management, continuation strategy, filing thesis, and outside-counsel coordination. Operates as a retainer relationship, handling day-to-day IP decisions and day-to-day load off client's plate.
- Transactional Services: One-time transactional engagements including portfolio valuation, acquisition/sale advisory, IP insurance placement, and enforcement assessments. Revenue is earned per transaction.
- Book and Content: Revenue from book sales ('Investing in Patents' available free online or for purchase on Amazon). Newsletter subscription (The BlueIron Letter) and podcast content support lead generation and thought leadership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) — ongoing retainer |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
BlueIron IP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BlueIron IP is a patent strategy advisory practice that helps companies turn patent portfolios into business assets. It delivers two engagement modes: (1) transactional services, primarily IP-backed lending using patent portfolios as collateral (loans written from BlueIron's own fund or syndicated with partner lenders), and (2) an ongoing Fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) retainer covering portfolio mapping, continuation strategy, filing thesis, and outside-counsel coordination. Additional transactional offerings include portfolio valuation, acquisition/sale advisory, IP insurance placement, and enforcement assessments.
Product overview
BlueIron IP is a business advisory practice offering two primary service modes: IP-backed lending (using patent portfolios as collateral for loans) and Fractional Chief IP Officer (ongoing strategic patent management). The practice operates transactionally for specific deals (loans, valuations, acquisitions, enforcement assessments, IP insurance) and continuously for companies building IP assets. Supporting resources include an annotated version of the USPTO's Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), a plain-language FAQ, the book 'Investing in Patents', the 'Patent Myths' podcast, and a monthly newsletter called 'The BlueIron Letter'. All services are delivered by principal Russ Krajec, who maintains a deliberately limited engagement of 4-6 concurrent clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Patent Myths: Podcast hosted by Russ Krajec discussing patent strategy and myths
- The BlueIron Letter
- MPEP, annotated
Products and services
- IP-Backed Lending Lending service that uses a company's patent portfolio as collateral. Loans are structured and underwritten by BlueIron from its own fund or syndicated with partner lenders for larger deals, making capital available against the IP asset on the company's timeline.
- Fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 patents under management across engagements
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use BlueIron IP
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BlueIron IP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BlueIron IP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
BlueIron IP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ocean Tomo: Ocean Tomo is an IP services firm offering IP valuation, IP-backed lending, and patent analytics. It is the closest direct peer to BlueIron's combined advisory + IP-backed lending model, with overlap in lender-side patent underwriting and fractional IP strategy engagements.
- Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank provides IP and intangible asset valuation, advisory, and transaction services, including IP-backed lending and portfolio sales. It competes with BlueIron on both the lending and valuation sides of patent transactions.
- IPValue Management (Aquitaine): IPValue Management / Aquitaine Advisors licenses and monetizes patent portfolios on behalf of operating companies. They overlap with BlueIron on portfolio strategy, licensing income, and acquirer positioning services.
Others
- Acacia Research: Acacia Research licenses and enforces patent portfolios for monetization. It is adjacent to BlueIron's licensing and enforcement assessment work but operates as a patent holder/assertion entity rather than a borrower-side advisor.
- Allied Security Trust (AST): AST is a defensive patent aggregator that acquires patents to neutralize them for member companies. It is thematically related to BlueIron's portfolio and licensing advisory but operates as a cooperative buyer rather than a strategy advisor.
Broad incumbents
- Aon IP Solutions: Aon's IP Solutions practice offers IP valuation, IP insurance placement, and intangible asset advisory within a global insurance brokerage. It competes with BlueIron's IP insurance placement and valuation services as part of a much broader risk and insurance portfolio.
- Clarivate: Clarivate (Derwent, CPA Global) provides IP analytics, portfolio management software, and IP services at global scale. It is adjacent to BlueIron's strategy and portfolio curation work through its IPfolio and consulting offerings.
- Marsh (IP practice): Marsh provides IP insurance placement and intangible asset advisory as part of its global insurance brokerage. It overlaps with BlueIron's IP insurance and risk-management services but as one capability among many.
Emerging players
- 8020 Consulting: 8020 Consulting is a boutique IP strategy and fractional CIPO consultancy serving growth-stage and enterprise clients. It overlaps with BlueIron's fractional Chief IP Officer and patent portfolio management offerings, often as a referral alternative.
- Aistemos: Aistemos provides patent intelligence and strategy software (Cipher) used by IP strategists and corporate IP teams. It is adjacent to BlueIron's strategy work, increasingly enabling what BlueIron delivers as services through a software interface.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BlueIron IP social profiles
Digital presenceBlueIron IP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BlueIron IP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BlueIron IP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BlueIron IP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BlueIron IP
What does BlueIron IP do?
BlueIron IP is a patent strategy advisory practice that helps companies turn patent portfolios into business assets. It delivers two engagement modes: (1) transactional services, primarily IP-backed lending using patent portfolios as collateral (loans written from BlueIron's own fund or syndicated with partner lenders), and (2) an ongoing Fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) retainer covering portfolio mapping, continuation strategy, filing thesis, and outside-counsel coordination. Additional transactional offerings include portfolio valuation, acquisition/sale advisory, IP insurance placement, and enforcement assessments.
Is BlueIron IP a public or private company?
BlueIron IP is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BlueIron IP founded?
BlueIron IP was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BlueIron IP based?
BlueIron IP is headquartered in Loveland, United States, in the North America region.
How does BlueIron IP make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. IP-Backed Lending is the primary driver. The others are fractional Chief IP Officer (CIPO) Retainer, transactional Services and book and Content.
Who are BlueIron IP's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ocean Tomo, Hilco Streambank and IPValue Management (Aquitaine). Others are Acacia Research and Allied Security Trust (AST). Broad incumbents are Aon IP Solutions, Clarivate and Marsh (IP practice). Emerging players are 8020 Consulting and Aistemos.
Does BlueIron IP have an API?
No public API is recorded for BlueIron IP.
What industry is BlueIron IP in?
BlueIron IP's product category is Patent Strategy & IP Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAF, Intellectual Property (IP) Law, with a secondary code of BPAHAMAH, IP Valuation, Damages & Royalty Analysis. Its NAICS code is 53311 and its SIC code is 6794.