It describes the fund as “customized, patient capital that recognizes the strength and value of a company’s IP strategy and portfolio,” and calls it the first of its kind to support IP development in the country. Companies looking to receive financing should have at least $1 million in annual revenue. (The Logic)
Talking point: To support the fund, BDC Capital has partnered with the five-person team at Quantius, a Toronto-based alternative lender. Quantius CEO Lally Rementilla will lead the team in delivering the funding and facilitating advice to companies. BDC promised to invest $3 million to $10 million per company. The announcement comes amid a federal push to develop a national IP strategy. In August 2019, the government launched a $30-million patent collective to help cleantech companies create and patent intellectual property and scale. BDC expects more Canadian companies to find greater value from intangible assets. In its press release, it cited a study from Ocean Tomo that found in 1975, S&P 500 companies showed 83 percent of their corporate value came from tangible assets. In 2015, that number shifted to 84 percent of companies’ corporate value coming from intangible assets.