Gather Core IP and Moat Evidence Artefacts
Audit and collate all current documentation relating to proprietary assets, software code, algorithm designs, unique data sources, and defensibility strategies. Map existing legal filings, IP assignment agreements, trade secret registers, and initial data capture architecture into a centralized asset repository. Ensure all team and contractor IP assignments are fully documented and accessible for rigorous evaluation.
Compiling these materials establishes a single source of truth for the venture's defensibility posture. It ensures the subsequent review is grounded in verifiable technical and legal facts rather than optimistic assumptions.
The founder must provide a complete IP register including contributor assignment contracts, repository links, and data source documentation. Every claimed proprietary element must be paired with tangible evidence of ownership, contract, or operational control.
Five questions an expert would ask when reviewing your output
Use these to challenge assumptions, pressure-test your logic, and check the quality of this action's output in the context of the parent task and wider venture development.
- 1
What legal documentation confirms that all contractors and team members have fully assigned their intellectual property to the entity?
- 2
How do you prove that the core algorithms or codebases were built entirely in-house without infringing third-party open-source licences?
- 3
Where is the explicit boundary between standard industry operational practices and your claimed proprietary trade secrets documented?
- 4
What evidence demonstrates that your initial data capture mechanisms comply with UK GDPR while securing long-term proprietary data rights?
- 5
Why have you included specific technological assets in this audit if they can be easily replicated by an incumbent within weeks?