Learn about available resources for inventors and entrepreneurs in St. Louis! More information will be added regularly so keep checking in.
If our list proves helpful, come back and submit an entry about your innovation or post a testimonial about your experience!
If you’ve been hacking away at your new company from home or a neighborhood coffee shop, coworking could be an option that helps you avoid isolation and take your idea to the next level. And if you’re new to the concept of “co-working,” you’ll love EQ’s guide to coworking spaces in St. Louis.
Looking FREE or low-cost co-working or office space? The city offers many shared office spaces for single desk tenants or small private offices for rent at inexpensive rates.
Check out the full list of options available near where you live or conduct business!
Are you aware of the types of IP that your business may have?
The USPTO's Advanced IP Questionnaire contains information on various types of IP (Copyright, Design Patent, Plant Patent, Trademark, and Trade Secret). You can select a particular IP topic that you would like to get included in your Advanced IP Identifier. Based on the topic you select and your answers to questions, you will receive a customized report containing detailed resources tailored to your specific IP circumstances.
Click the link above to navigate to the USPTO IP Identifier interactive form to explore the different types of IP available for your innovation.
Registration is free, and tickets are limited! Register for free today!
What is ProductCamp?
ProductCamp is a free, non-profit, user-driven, collaborative and professional “unconference” for anyone who builds, designs, markets or manages a product or service. It is a production of the St. Louis Product Management Group and is generally held in February or March. ProductCamp St. Louis 2023 was our 10th annual event (not counting 2021 & 2022 that were cancelled due to the pandemic).
The Concept Grows Worldwide
ProductCamp started in Silicon Valley in 2008. Now 50+ cities around the world (in North America, Europe, Australia and India) have ProductCamp events. In 2014 ProductCamp St. Louis had the third largest registration of all ProductCamps held that year (worldwide!). At that time we capped attendance at 400. ProductCamp St. Louis has seen 400+ registrants each year nearly every year since.
The Agenda
Unlike a “traditional” conference, the agenda for a ProductCamp event isn’t planned in advance. That is why the event is often referred to as “unconference.” Everyone in attendance will vote on the sessions to be held from the submissions received in advance and up to the morning of the event. In past years ProductCamp St. Louis has offered 20-30+ different sessions during the day.
How do I know if I should attend if I don’t know what’s on the agenda?
You can check out the proposed sessions prior to the event to see some of the topics that have been proposed.
The great thing about a ProductCamp is that the sessions are chosen by the participants, not the organizers, so there’s a much higher chance the sessions will be interesting and relevant. Additionally, ProductCamps follow the “two-foot rule”: if you’re in a session and want to leave, use your two feet and go somewhere else.
Most ProductCamp participants don’t complain about there not being good sessions. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite — they complain that there are too many good sessions going on at once and they can’t get to them all. Again, the “two-foot rule” encourages you to sample multiple sessions, rather than feeling trapped in one room because you don’t want to offend the session leader.
Who Should Attend?
Anyone who builds, designs, markets or manages a product or service will benefit from ProductCamp St. Louis. If you’re interested in transforming your business you should attend. If your job title has anything to do with products or marketing or business development or if you’re the owner of a business you should attend. In the past we’ve attracted project managers, business analysts and venture capitalists, among others too.
ProductCamp St. Louis is special because it offers a unique opportunity to rub shoulders and exchange ideas with people you might not come in contact with in everyday life. Our participants come from a wide variety of industries: agriculture, manufacturing, biotech, financial and professional services and so many more. Attendees come from businesses large and small (from Fortune 500 companies to solo-preneurs). You’ll meet people who work in B2B, B2C and non-profits.
Well, here's your chance! Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch TV show is seeking innovators to pitch their ideas. Log on to the website to learn more and to submit your online application.
Is your idea or product the next best thing? Then consider applying and becoming their next contestant!
Practice makes perfect! Learn from others and prepare yourself for your next product pitches.
Join us for IASL's April 2022 monthly meeting about
The inventing and business startup process involves many elements and moving parts at different stages of development. This month's meeting will provide an overview of the many resources available within St. Louis' Innovation Eco-system and how to navigate through and gain access to them while help you to determine what you may need.
We will begin our discussion with our guest speaker, Mary Scott, who will introduce a number of popular and less-known programs and services available to you for FREE within St. Louis along with how and when to secure them during the different phases of your product or business development. Information gained from the discussion of the resource document below should enable you to determine which one is right for you and when.
FEEL FREE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS AND REVIEW!
Owning a patent, copyright, or trademark for intellectual property is valuable to people who create things. Each protects the person who owns its because it prevents other people or businesses from using the protected creation for their gain (versus the creator's gain). It's also important that teachers, students, and the general public understand what trademarks, copyrights, and patents are and the protections they grant to the people who own them, as many people who violate these protections do so unknowingly. Similarly, many people don't know that there are works that they can use, either in a limited capacity or freely.
This link provides a quick lesson about the difference between trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Be encouraged to visit to gain a better understanding of the differences, the protection that they each provide, along with when it's safe to use others' protected materials.
(Special thanks to Katie with Lyndhurst Stem Club for Girls for sharing this valuable information with IASL members.)
DISCLAIMER: Page link is NOT an endorsement of the Attorney/legal services offered by the page owners. Instead, provision only serves as a reference to the VALUABLE INFORMATION provided on the page about INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
SBA has resources and partners to help your business start, grow, expand or recover.
Find your local resource at: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance
If you're looking to grow your small business, becoming a federal contractor may be a viable option.
U.S. Small Business Administration
"Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program: Claiming Your Business"
Learn how to claim your business to become certified for the Woman-Owned Small Business federal contracting program.
A copyright is the protection of original authorship for all intellectual works. A copyright goes into effect the moment your work is created into a tangible form. This means that it protects the person who wrote the material and states that the material belongs to them. A copyright can apply to anything that is written. Did you know everything from poems and books, drawings and songs, to artwork and computer programs can be copyrighted! Did you know copyrights can also apply to movies?
A copyright is a form of protection to authors that gives the author the sole ownership of their work. This means that the author alone has the right to make copies of the work, unless the author grants permission to other people. It also protects the author and the work from others who wish to take characters or other parts of it and create new works from it. This is called derivative works. The copyright also protects distribution rights, public performance, and public display rights. For all of these rights the author must give permission for these things to happen. Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 set up a system that helped the writers and musicians of songs to be compensated for the work that is used in digital formats.
Authors' right is the right of the author to choose whom they will share their work with. (Why Authors' Rights and Copyright Matter) It allows authors to protect their works, and to make a profit from them. In the digital age, it is becoming more difficult for authors to protect their works. Many schools are working out deals with authors that allow them institutional licenses to use their work in a particular school.
Learn more about copyrights here:
Do you know the difference between a copyright and a patent? A patent protects ideas and discoveries, which a copyright does not do. A patent is a form of intellectual property that gives the owner the sole right to their invention. A patent excludes others from making, using or selling their invention. You can learn more information at the United States Patent and Trademark Office about patents.
Learn more about patents and intellectual property here:
What about trademarks? A trademark is a form of intellectual property that is made up of a sign, symbol, design, or expression that identifies a product, brand, goods or services. Trademarks are protected by intellectual property rights.
Learn more about trademarks here:
Visit Link to learn much, much more about the invention process and available resources.
https://www.uprinting.com/copyright-guide-trademarks-and-patents-in-print-and-beyond.html
The USPTO’s Hub for inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses provides resources and information in a centralized forum to aid in understanding and registering intellectual property.
Connect with the thousands of people from the St. Louis startup community. Experience the many programs and resources available for powering your startup and growing your company.
STLCC has made a strong commitment to serving as an ongoing, year-round resource for inventors with their provision of "Inventor Series" classes every semester for Inventors and Entrepreneurs!
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Did you know that Wash U offers free legal services to community residents through its Patent and Entrepreneurial Legal Clinic?
Visit their website to learn how they can help you with filing patents and other intellectual property along with devising legal documents, forms, and other contracts for your start-up business!
Facilitates the USPTO Pro Bono Program that offers FREE legal services to inventors with limited financial resources.
A One-stop-shop of local resources! Find your next-step innovation and business resources, wherever you operate your Missouri business, from the boot heel to the northwest.
Non-Profit Organizations
Annual Business Plan Competitions
Annual/Monthly/Weekly Events
Incubators and Venues
OTHERS
A unique walking tour of the City with time to enjoy lunch and shopping too! Maximize your sightseeing with this exceptional tour.
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