Inngot secures £1m funding to support IP finance drive

Inngot, the IP identification and valuation platform used and recommended by leading banks, has secured over £1m in equity investment. The funds will support its marketing drive to make more IP-rich SMEs aware they can leverage their IP’s value for non-dilutive low-cost debt funding; they will also be used to open up more financing channels with new partner lenders in the UK and overseas.

As part of the fundraise, Inngot has welcomed former Unilever Ventures head John Coombs to its board, along with new CFO Andrew Frome.

The new funding comes as Inngot gears up to take advantage of its success in enabling IP-based finance in the UK and the rapidly growing global interest in this asset class, which is widely acknowledged as being fundamental to growth and innovation. Since January 2024, for example, Inngot has been working with NatWest (the UK’s largest commercial bank) on launching and operating IP-backed loans to scale-up businesses, with the aim of making IP a more ‘mainstream’ asset class.

The NatWest High Growth IP-backed loan targets firms based in England and Wales looking to borrow amounts from £250,000 – generally with no requirement for personal guarantees. The bank has confirmed it has made over £27 million in loans to date, at rates that have averaged less than 3% over base rate. Inngot’s online IP tools support the loan.

Inngot is currently working with several banks in the UK and globally, including HSBC, as well as NGOs such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and national development and IP agencies, to develop lending products based on using innovative SME’s ‘bankable IP’ as collateral.

Inngot CEO Martin Brassell says:

“Innovation was needed to harness tangible assets to finance the industrial age. It’s the same story in the information age – except that now, the most valuable assets are intangible. We are delighted to have secured this substantial vote of confidence in a challenging investment market, which will support our drive to raise awareness of IP finance and how we can help more growth businesses access it.”

PR contact:

Martin Croft

martin.croft@inngot.com

07464 204644

About Inngot

Inngot was founded in 2007 by Martin Brassell FRSA and finance law expert Professor Iwan Davies FLSW, previously Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University. It operates internationally from its offices in Swansea and Abingdon, near Oxford.

Inngot’s suite of accessible and affordable online tools enable companies to identify their IP assets, derive an indicative value for them, and communicate this information in a standardised report which is increasingly being used by banks and other lenders as validation in the lending process.

In addition to its offerings for SMEs, Inngot works with governments, industry bodies, general and specialist lenders, lawyers and accountants in driving the development of policy that reflects the true value and significance of intangible assets in the 21st century global economy.

Inngot’s in-depth research and publications on how IP can be used to raise financing, is driving the debate on the intersection of IP, innovation, and economic growth. Most recently, CEO Martin Brassell authored WIPO’s guide for SMEs on IP-backed finance.

Find out more at www.inngot.com