Startups IP Solutions

Join Angela Adebayo Agbe-Davies, Managing Director of Inventa Nigeria, for an insightful webinar on safeguarding your brand through trademark protection. This is a crucial topic for entrepreneurs looking to protect their brands and grow their businesses securely.

Angela will discuss key strategies to protect and enhance brand value, including the importance of trademarks in brand protection.

This webinar is conducted in collaboration with ISN.

Africa is beginning to make its mark in the international space sector, driven by growing investment and innovation. The 2025 inauguration of the African Space Agency represents a key milestone in this expansion.

The webinar “Protect Your IP with IT and Inventa: Software Patents and Artificial Intelligence” took place on February 26, with the participation of Inventa.

The event was held at the Telecommunications Institute (IT) in Lisbon and highlighted the main challenges and opportunities in protecting computer-implemented inventions, including those driven by Artificial Intelligence.

With over 40 speakers and more than 2000 attendees, the 5th edition of Lagos Tech Fest took place on February 20th, bringing together startups, innovators, investors, and government representatives shaping the future of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.

The event provided a platform for meaningful discussions, networking, and insights into key industry trends. Key topics included Financial inclusion, Venture Capital & Private Equity, AI & Cloud, the Creative Economy, Identity & Fraud, E-commerce, Digital Infrastructure, among others.

On February 3rd the application period for SME Fund began, an initiative implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) with the aim of helping small and medium-sized enterprises with the protection of IP rights. The fund offers partial reimbursements for expenses related to:

• IP Scan / IP Enforcement: up to €810 (in Portugal)

• Trademarks and Designs: up to €700

• National Patents: up to €1.500

• European Patents: up to €2.500

• Plant Variety application: €1.500

On November 16, Inventa Nigeria attended the Africa Startup Festival (ASF), a vibrant gathering of young professionals, founders and ambitious entrepreneurs from across the African continent. The ASF featured discussions on innovation, deal-making, and strategic collaboration within the startup ecosystem.

In the early stages of setting up a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), protecting intellectual property (IP) may not be the priority. However, ensuring the protection of intangible assets such as brands and innovations is essential for long-term success.

Diogo Antunes analyzes the importance of IP, from registering trademarks to protecting innovations through patents or trade secrets, highlighting practical strategies for SMEs to balance initial costs with future competitiveness in the market.

Financial technology (fintech) encompasses many innovations, including mobile payment platforms, blockchain-based solutions, algorithmic trading systems, and peer-to-peer lending platforms, among others.

The protection of fintech innovations is critically dependent on a robust framework of intellectual property (IP) rights. These include patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, all of which are instrumental in safeguarding unique technologies, business practices, and brand identities essential for progress.

On January 23rd, Madrid hosted a seminar titled “Intellectual Property as a Driver of Business Growth for Spanish SMEs in the European Union and Africa”.

According to recent information on the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) website, the 2024 edition of the SME Fund is scheduled to be launched on January 22nd.