consumer product
consulting

consumer product
consulting

Having a great idea is one thing.
Getting paid is another.

What we do

We help entrepreneurs, inventors, and startups get paid for their creativity.

Intellectual Property Strategy

We help you file patent applications that move your business forward, including securing a licensee and/or investors. Build a wall of intellectual property to keep your competitors out. Design your portfolio so that it is attractive for acquisition.

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Consumer Product Licensing

We connect you with companies looking for new products. Then, we help you negotiate a fair and balanced licensing agreement.
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Social Media Marketing

We design campaigns that your customers won’t stop talking about using the most powerful tool on the planet. Create brand awareness to promote your product or services. Become a respected thought leader in your industry.
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Press

Stephen has been featured on…

Forbes • Inc. • Entrepreneur
CNBC • TIME • FastCompany
USA TODAY • Los Angeles Times
CBS • CNN • ABC • Dr. Phil

Stephen Key

President & CEO

Stephen Key is an award-winning, inventor, renowned intellectual property strategist, lifelong entrepreneur, author, speaker, and columnist. He has over 20 patents in his name and the dozens of concepts he has brought to market have retailed in Walmart, 7-Eleven, and Disney stores and parks worldwide and been endorsed by Michael Jordan, Alex, Trebek, and Taylor Swift. He has defended his patents in federal court against the largest toy company in the world, Lego.

In 1999 he cofounded inventRight to teach others his unique process of harnessing the power of open innovation in the licensing business model. His best-selling book about how to license an idea, One Simple Idea by McGraw-Hill, has been translated into six languages.

He has written more than 1,000 articles about intellectual property strategy, product licensing, and entrepreneurship for publications online including Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur. Currently he is part of the team responsible for launching a new sustainable packaging innovation that replaces the need to use plastic to carry beverages called Fishbone.

Stephen has received numerous awards including a Gold and Bronze Edison Award for his packaging innovation in 2011. He was also selected as an AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador in 2018–2019.

In 2022, Stephen was honored as a “Most Influential and Inspiring Leader Of All Time” by the World Intellectual Property Forum.

Stephen’s mission has always been to help people share their creativity with the world.

His journey in product licensing truly began when he was a manager of design at Worlds of Wonder, a startup in the late 80s, launching Teddy Ruxpin and Laser Tag, a job for which he will be eternally grateful.

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

experience

Stephen has been honored to serve with all of the following companies and organizations.

Communications Committee Member

The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding

Sept. 2021 – Present

Ecosystem Constituent

United States Intellectual Property Alliance

Oct. 2020 – Present

Cofounder

Inventors Groups of America

2017 – Present

Chief Technical Officer

SpinLabel Technology, Inc.

Oct. 2011 – Dec. 2015

Chief Executive Officer

Big Idea Guys

Oct. 2004 – Jul. 2008

Advisory Board Member

SAIP – Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property

Jan. 2021 – Present

Cofounder

inventRight, LLC

2000 – Present

Board Member

Accudial Pharmaceuticals

2011-2015

Chief Executive Officers

Stephen Key Media (Stephen Key Design)

Jul. 1995 – Present

Manager of the Design Group

Worlds of Wonder

Nov. 1985 – Dec. 1989

SPEAKING

Stephen lives to speak publicly, especially when international travel is involved. He’s proud to have spoken to the following organizations:

  • The United States Patent & Trademark Office — Alexandria, Virginia

  • Silicon Valley U.S. Patent & Trademark Office — San Jose, CA

  • Stanford University — Palo Alto, CA

  • University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI

  • World IP Forum – Bangkok, Thailand

  • Invest Northern Ireland — Belfast, Ireland

  • Techne Summit — Alexandria, Egypt

  • RiseUp Summit – Cairo, Egypt

  • Adams & Adams Law Firm — Johannesburg, South Africa

  • The University of Newcastle – Newcastle, Australia

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science — Washington D.C. 

Award winning Design

Stephen Key is the holder of over twenty patents and has won numerous awards for his innovation.

Patents

  • 9,342,999 Machine Readable Information Interface for a Container
  • 9,085,402 Medical Information Rotating Label System for a Container
  • 8,973,755 Compliance Aid Labeling
  • 8,814,217 Progress Tracking Aid Labeling For Medication Containers
  • 8,727,220 Machine readable information interface for a container
  • D706,625 Container Having A Recessed Panel
  • D706,624 Container With A Recessed Panel
  • 8,709,198 High-speed expanded content labels
  • D588,628 Stringed instrument plectrum
  • 7,172,668 Rotatable label system and method
  • 7,087,298 Rotating label system
  • 6,649,007 Rotatable label for pharmaceutical container and method for constructing same
  • 6,631,578 Roll-fed method for constructing a rotatable label system
  • 6,402,872 Rotating label system and method
  • 6,385,878 Rotatable label system including tamper-evident feature and method for constructing same
  • 6,237,269 Roll-fed method for constructing a rotatable label system
  • 6,212,803 Rotatable label system on a drinking vessel and method for constructing same
  • 6,129,802 Rotatable label system and method of constructing same
  • 6,086,697 Rotating label system and method
  • 5,884,421 Apparatus and method for constructing a rotatable label device
  • 5,809,674 Apparatus and method for increasing an effective information carrying surface area on a container

Awards

  • —2022 World Intellectual Property Forum – Most Infuential and Insiring Leader Of All Time
  • 2011 AccuDial – New Product Innovation Award – Frost & Sullivan
  • —2011 AccuDial – PTPA Seal of Approval
  • 2011 AccuDial – Edison Awards – Gold Winner
  • 2011 AccuDial – Edison Awards – Bronze Winner
  • 2011 AccuDial Product of the Year, Canada
  • 2008 Best New Product Concept – Disney Consumer Products
  • 2008 NAMM Best In Show – Guitar Picks – Accessories
  • 2007 NAMM Best In Show – Guitar Picks – Accessories
  • 2002 FlexoTech Print and Innovations Award Winner in the Combination Printing Category
  • 2001 IOPP AmeriStar Awards First Place
  • 2001 International Association of Printing House Craftsmen Gold & Bronze Award Winner
  • 2000 IOPP AmeriStar Awards BEST OF SHOW
  • 2000 IOPP AmeriStar Awards Best of Category (Pharmacy)
  • 2000 World Label Association Innovation Award
  • 2000 Package Printing Excellence Awards First Place Production Achievement
  • 2000 PCT U.K. Product of the Year
  • 2000 TLMI Awards Honorable Mention in Technical Achievement
  • 1999 TLMI Awards Innovation Winner in Technical Achievement
  • 1999 Pyramid Awards, Award of Excellence in Film Labeling
  • 1999 Food & Drug Packaging News, Package of the Year

Testimonials

“Thank you for all you do Stephen Key! Supporting independent Inventors is key to our future economic growth and opportunity!”

Kathi Vidal

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO

“One Simple Idea is one of McGraw-Hill Professional’s best-selling books on entrepreneurship.”

Cheryl Ringer

Editor, McGraw-Hill Professional

“Ever heard of Teddy Ruxpin or Lazer Tag? Both have Stephen Key’s mark on them. He is they Yoda of “renting” ideas for serious passive income.”

Tim Ferriss

Best Selling Author - Four Hour Workweek, Four Hour Body and others.

“Stephen has actually been successful at getting patents and successful at monetizing those patents. Getting a patent is one thing, but when you’ve been as successful as Stephen at actually making money on the patents, you guys are listening to the right person.”

Gene Quinn

Patent Attorney and Law Professor, Creator of SmartIP, Founder IPWatchdog.com, Top 50 Most Influential IP Strategist

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With over 20 patents to his name, Stephen sold his portfolio for millions of dollars.

Along the way, he defended his patent portfolio against the largest toy company in the world — Lego, Inc. — in San Francisco Federal Court.

He is a longtime contributor to Forbes on intellectual property strategy from a business perspective.

Building brand awareness and trust is the number one requirement for a successful product today.
We’ve been building brands in the digital world before it was even called social media.
With millions of fans and customers worldwide, we know what it takes to build a loyal audience.

Helping you identify the right companies to approach for licensing consideration, connecting with champions at these companies, and ultimately building a relationship is our specialty.

Negotiating a fair and balanced licensing agreement takes time, experience, and patience.

Stephen has more than 30 years of experience doing cold outreach that results in win-win licensing deals. Meaning, we can help you every step of the way through these pain points.