Quarterly Pitch Competition
Grand Prize of a FREE Provisional Patent Application!
The pitch for Q1 is completed. Congrats to our winner!
The next competition starts soon. Check back for updates.
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We love entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses. After all, we are successful startup founders ourselves.
The problem most inventors and startups face is the challenge of limited resources. We want to give back by helping one startup each quarter get to patent pending status for FREE.
Find Out More
What Will Getting Backed by Menlo Park Patents Do For My Business?
Many angel investors and venture capitalists require startups to initiate the protection of their intellectual property via patents. A patent is the only legal way to exclude others from producing, selling and using your invention.
FREE Patent Pending Status
Once we file your provisional patent application, your invention can be marked with the legend "Patent Pending".
Credibility for Your Startup
Up to $5000 in Services
Menlo Park Patents will provide the winner with up to $5000 worth of services towards your provisional patent pending application.
How It Works
Each quarter an entry link is available on our website, Instagram and FaceBook.
Fill out and submit the entry form before the deadline.
We will provide detailed instructions on our application process.
All entries are reviewed and one winner is selected.
The winner is announced and we begin the process to file a provisional patent application.
More details on that process are below.
Competition Rules
You must be 18+ years old, a U.S. citizen and a U.S. based inventor, start-up or small business with operations in the United States of America or its territories.
You must submit an entry for a new invention that qualifies for patent protection and you must be the inventor of the invention with all rights to file for the provisional application.
You must be willing to have your name and photo published by Menlo Park Patents
Inventions We Do Not Accept
Inventions that pose a risk to national security; encourage tax fraud or avoiding taxes to the U. S. Government; and/or relate to breaking any local, state or federal laws will not be accepted.
Inventions for adult or pornographic-related industries as well as those with offensive language or derogatory themes will not be accepted.
Menlo Park Patents reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not meet USPTO guidelines for patent qualifications.
How do we select a winner?
We first and foremost look at the inventor('s) or team's background. Then the market, plan to develop a business, and idea. We select great inventors and founders who propose innovative solutions to solve real problems.
We treat the team with as much importance as the IP. The typical winner will have articulated clearly their innovative solution, the problem it solves, how it works, and their plan to build it.
We accept inventions in any industry except listed under the section "Inventions We Do Not Accept" on this page. It does not matter if your invention is a simple mechanical device like a selfie stick or highly technical like a medical device. Anyone can enter!
If you have sold, published, or the invention was used in public for more than 1 year then patent protection cannot be obtained for the invention and you may not apply to the competition.
What happens after I win the competition?
The winner will be contacted via the email provided on the competition entry form.
The winner will receive an engagement letter for review and signature that must be returned in 3 days. We will send an invention disclosure and begin the process with documenting their invention.
Once we receive all invention descriptions and drawings, we will draft the provisional patent application. After the winner reviews and approves the draft, we will file with the USPTO and send the winner a receipt of the filing.
