Stratford's work with Zighra's CEO, Deepak Dutt was featured in an article in the Ottawa Business Journal.
Dutt is the CEO of Zighra, an Ottawa-based firm specializing in AI-powered authentication tech for mobile devices.
Hoping to implement an Intellectual Property (IP) strategy rather than applying for patents ad hoc, Dutt reached out to Stratford Managers and was connected with David Fraser. As an experienced entrepreneur, engineer and patent agent, Fraser was quickly able to assess Zighra’s needs and implement a strategy for protecting its IP.
Five years down the road, Zighra has successfully filed 15 patents, two of which have been granted, and has several more pending approval.
Zighra’s first patent was granted in April 2017 and the next one followed in October. Around the same time, Apple released the iPhone X, the first of its smartphones to feature facial recognition technology.
For Zighra, the timing couldn’t have worked out better, as many competing smartphone manufacturers are now trying to come up with their own spin on the authentication technology. As a result, many companies are working to build AI chips into their phones.
“That makes our patent very valuable,” says Dutt. As more startups crop up in Zighra’s industry, the firm’s patents serve as a great differentiator.
“Authentication security, it’s a space where patents become very important,” he adds.
As a seasoned IP veteran, Fraser knows how challenging it can be for startups to allot time and attention to protecting their work in the early stages. Between developing the product and trying to close sales, it’s easy to let IP strategies slip through the cracks.
“You’re not patent experts, and you don’t really have time for it anyway,” says Fraser. “We take that worry off your hands.”
Stratford Managers team of seasoned experts have lived as entrepreneurs, executives and CEOs of both small and multinational enterprises and know what it takes to successfully scale an organization.
For more information, read the full article 'AI firm Zighra calls on Stratford Managers for hard-hitting IP strategy' online via the Ottawa Business Journal's website and Issuu.
[UPDATE] As of Jan. 15, 2021, Ottawa’s Stratford Managers Corporation has become Stratford Group Ltd.