New England Invents

What New England Invents does

New England Invents (NEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and recognized as the oldest organization in the United States dedicated to supporting independent inventors. Its mission is to educate, promote, and support independent inventors through the full product commercialization lifecycle, from ideation through patenting, prototyping, manufacturing, licensing, and retail. The organization serves a primary segment of independent inventors at any stage of commercialization, with secondary segments including K-12 students (via a Youth Advisory Board and collaborations with state-level Invention Conventions), military veterans and their families (via a Military Advisory Board), and corporate partners seeking access to the inventor community.

NEI's core offerings are community- and education-based rather than technology-based. Core products include monthly educational seminars (Speaker Series), product pitch sessions with expert panel feedback, one-on-one consulting with NEI executives, networking events, and member visibility through newsletters and social media. The organization is developing two new educational products: a 12-part Educational Certification Course covering each step of commercialization (scheduled September 2024 launch) and a two-day Product Workshop Course on team-based product ideation (scheduled summer 2024 launch). Supporting services include pitch deck guidance, marketing materials assistance, and NDA consulting. NEI does not develop proprietary technology; its underlying infrastructure is a community platform anchored at the UMass Innovation HUB Lowell Haverhill Campus, supplemented by a YouTube channel, newsletter, and partner network.

The business model is a nonprofit subscription-and-sponsorship model. Individual inventors pay $40/year for membership, which unlocks all programming, consulting, and pitch access. Revenue is supplemented by corporate sponsorships (contacted through VP Project Development Morris Newman), donations via PayPal, and in-kind support from institutional partners such as UMass Lowell and Enterprise Bank. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on monthly seminars, both virtual and in-person, and partner-driven referrals from organizations including USPTO, Lemelson-MIT, UIA, IFIA, Innovation World, and various service providers (legal, design, manufacturing, media). The 5-person team is led by Founder & President George Peters and an executive team including a COO, VP Project Development, Director Strategic Development, and Executive Director. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

New England Invents

Legal name

New England Invents

Website

https://neinvents.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New England Invents is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the oldest U.S. organization dedicated to supporting independent inventors. It educates and connects individual inventors, K-12 students, and military veterans through monthly seminars, pitch sessions, consulting, and certification courses, funded primarily by $40/year memberships and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inventor Education & Support Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Law, Ethics & Compliance (Contracts, IP Basics) (EDAMAHAL), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Inventor education
• Invention support
• Product commercialization
• Pitch consulting
• Inventor networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Haverhill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues of $40 per year provide independent inventors access to NEI's services including consulting, pitch sessions, seminars, networking events, and product visibility.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Organizations and corporations partner with NEI to support independent inventors, gaining visibility and access to the inventor network. Partnership benefits include collaboration on programming, thought leadership, networking, panel participation, co-branding, and joint marketing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New England Invents is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates, promotes, and supports independent inventors through a suite of services including monthly Speaker Series seminars, Product Pitch Sessions with expert feedback, One-on-One Consulting, and Networking Events. Members receive visibility in NEI newsletters and community access, with specialized programs for K-12 students (Youth Advisory Board) and military veterans (Military Advisory Board). The organization is developing a 12-part Educational Certification Course and a Product Workshop Course to formalize its commercialization curriculum.

Product overview

New England Invents is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a suite of educational and support services for independent inventors. The core offerings include Speaker Series seminars, Product Pitch Sessions, One-on-One Consulting, Monthly Educational Seminars, and Networking Events. The organization is developing two new educational products: an Educational Certification Course (12-part curriculum on product commercialization) and a Product Workshop Course (two-day team-based product ideation workshop). Supporting services include pitch deck guidance, marketing materials assistance, newsletter/social media visibility, and NDA consulting. The organization targets independent inventors at all stages of the commercialization journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• KettlePizza products sold to customers in over 70 countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core partner, manufacturing partner, community supporter and service provider.

• UMass Lowellcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI is housed at UMass Innovation HUB Lowell Haverhill Campus. UMass Lowell provides physical space and institutional support for NEI events and operations. Collaboration on educational initiatives.
• USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI partners with USPTO for educational events on patent processes, IP protection strategies, and inventor resources. USPTO experts participate in NEI seminars and panels.
• United Inventors Association (UIA)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 20,000 active members. NEI collaborates with UIA to support inventors from around the world with education and resources.
• Innovation Worldcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation World runs student innovation programs including Global Innovation Field Trips and Alliance programs (National Innovator Challenge and Global Innovation Challenge). NEI provides mentorship and guidance to student innovators.
• MNR Technologymanufacturing partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI's manufacturing partner. A pioneer in Human Machine Interface (HMI) and interactive systems with over 30 years of industry expertise. Provides educational content on product design, development, and manufacturing technologies.
• Lemelson-MIT Programcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI partners with Lemelson-MIT for educational initiatives on inventive learning. Stephanie Couch, Executive Director of Lemelson-MIT, has participated as keynote speaker at NEI events.
• BufferSpringscommunity supporterGTM or Marketing PartnerBufferSprings is a Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business founded by Rob Arndt, NEI Military Advisory Board member. Provides support for veteran inventor initiatives.
• Connecticut Invention Conventioncore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI collaborates with Connecticut Invention Convention, a K-12 invention education program reaching 23% of students in Connecticut. Nick Briere, Executive Director, serves on NEI's Youth Advisory Board.
• Morse (Law Firm)service providerTechnology or IntegrationMorse is a law firm partner providing intellectual property and legal services guidance to NEI and its members. Sean Detweiler is the contact attorney.
• Small Bang Designservice providerTechnology or IntegrationDesign services partner providing support for product design and development for NEI member inventors.
• PQAI (Project PQ)service providerTechnology or IntegrationPQAI provides AI-powered intellectual property services and support for inventors in the NEI network.
• HC Mediacommunity supporterGTM or Marketing PartnerHaverhill Community TV provides media support and visibility for NEI events and programs in the local community.
• Custom Video Productionsservice providerTechnology or IntegrationVideo production services partner supporting NEI's content creation and event recording capabilities.
• IFIA (International Federation of Inventors' Associations)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational federation supporting inventors' associations globally. NEI's international network connection for inventor support.
• Invent Americacommunity supporterStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational inventor support organization partnering with NEI for inventor education and advocacy programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge: Large startup accelerator and entrepreneur support organization based in Boston; NEI's COO Steve Davis is a longtime judge/mentor there. Comparable in early-stage entrepreneur support though broader than invention-only.
• National Inventors Hall of Fame: Long-established national organization dedicated to recognizing inventors and running invention education programs (Camp Invention); broader and more established than NEI, with overlapping mission in inventor education and recognition.

Direct peers

• Connecticut Invention Convention: K-12 invention education program reaching 23% of CT students; closely comparable to NEI's K-12/youth programming and an active partner through NEI's Youth Advisory Board.
• International Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA): Global federation of inventor associations and a NEI partner; directly comparable as an umbrella organization for the inventor support community at international scale.
• InventRight: Company that teaches independent inventors how to license and monetize their ideas through structured coaching and courses; directly comparable to NEI's commercialization education offering.
• Edison Nation: Platform that helps independent inventors bring products to market through retail and licensing partnerships; overlaps with NEI's commercialization support and pitch-session services.
• Lemelson-MIT Program: MIT-based program focused on inventive learning and supporting inventors, with which NEI has an active partnership (Stephanie Couch has keynoted NEI events). Comparable in mission around invention education and ecosystem building.
• United Inventors Association (UIA): National 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving independent inventors with education and resources; explicitly cited as a core strategic partner of NEI, making it the closest peer in mission and structure.
• Invent America: National inventor support organization that partners with NEI on inventor education and advocacy. Directly comparable in offering inventor education, networking, and commercialization support.
• Innovation World: Runs student innovation programs including Global Innovation Field Trips and the National/Global Innovation Challenge; NEI partner organization providing mentorship to student innovators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKfcLzFpxcdx-Qg5YdQRsnw
• Facebookfacebook.com/newenglandinvents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newenglandinvents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about New England Invents