Today, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Kathi Vidal announced a June 18 Women's Entrepreneurship program, an event that follows the launch on May 1 of a National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation (the Strategy). 

The Strategy is built on basic principles ranging from primary, secondary, and post-secondary education to promoting inclusiveness in organizations and increasing, for all Americans, commercialization opportunities for innovations.  In announcing the Strategy, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo emphasized that empowering innovators and entrepreneurs from all communities helps to ensure America’s global competitiveness. 

The strategy document is both broad and deep in its coverage, with 112 pages and 11 specific recommendations. On the educational side, it provides a roadmap for institutions from preschools to community colleges to research universities to best tailor their programs toward innovation.  On the business side, the recommendations are helpful not only to established private companies but also to business incubators, chambers of commerce, and other economic development organizations to ensure their innovation-related efforts lead to economic success.

Particularly helpful is that the USPTO has taken a step beyond just giving inventors help in getting a patent. Fenwick, joined by Intel and California Lawyers for the Arts, founded the California Inventors Assistance Program over a decade ago to help under-resourced inventors obtain patents for their inventions.  Yet, many find it hard to turn those patents into business plans. The USPTO's new push recognizes this, and programs such as the one just announced address adjacent issues such as obtaining capital--issues that often form roadblocks for patentees looking to turn their innovations into successful businesses.