How to Interface with Big (Engineering) Companies?

2 points by ZephyrP 10y ago ↗ HN

In brief: How do you get started interfacing with huge (engineering) companies?

The long story:

I've long been interested in marine logistics and shipping, I've built boats and even developed a small-scale autonomous boat (read: RC sailboat) and with rising incidence of crewmember ransom, increased trade volume and changes in the quality and availability of autonomous system algorithms -- I think it's time to retrofit an existing vessels with an autonomous stern system, with backup human-based satellite navigation from land.

I reached out to MARINTEK and Marorka, asking for some relevant contacts within their respective organizations, and it may not surprise you that the response I got back was somewhere between puzzled and threatening.

I don't think it would be feasible to mount an operation to build boats from scratch, but if I could convince one of these organizations to help identify legal barriers to unmanned vessels and license some autonomous shipping technology I build, it could have a shot.

Do I just keep bothering them until they crack or is there a defined procedure for reaching out like this? Is hearing something like this simply too insane for big corporate entities?

1 comment

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PaulHoule 10y ago ↗

I don't think there is a playbook for this one. It is possible to make a sale like this, but it is also possible you could bang your head for years, or talk to the wrong person and anger the company, or...

What I can say is you should (i) file for micro-entity status at the U.S. patent office, and (ii) file a provisional patent application (costs just $65 if you are a micro-entity) and do this as fast as possible (tomorrow!)

The worst thing is you are going to bang your head against them and then they will rip you off, and going down the patent road is a protection against that. Once you file a PPA you can say you have something "patent pending" and you have priority if you file a real patent in a year. That is a more involved process, but if you are tiny and dealing with big co's, you need all the legal ammunition you can get.

Some people will think you are a jerk if you are following the patent route, and let them think that. If you have a patent it will be a valuable asset for anyone you license it to, so it is not just a stick, it is a carrot.