Are UNICORNS too cool for PATENTS?

Unicorn is a SiliconValley – developed term used to describe a startup with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. A resent research has shown that over 60% of US Unicorns have fallen behind in securing a strong IP position. Partially this can be explained with the fact that 65% of Unicorns are software companies that are less likely to have large IP portfolios; another factor is that many Unicorn companies are relatively young. Does this g…ap between IP and Financial Valuation presents a concern? There are several junctures where any company (and especially a Unicorn with an abnormally high valuation) is most vulnerable when having a weak or no IP portfolio: entering new markets with established players, and approaching an exit point such as an IPO (or M&A). TO COMPARE: Over the past 10 years Apple has produced 10,975 patents with a team of 5,232 inventors, and Google has produced 12,386 with a team of 8,888.