Based on the EPO case study “Lightyear", investment and venture-building expert Willem Bulthuis (CEO, Corporate Ventures Advisory), who is also the author of the case study, and Ilja Rudyk (Senior Economist, Chief Economist Unit, EPO) will discuss key takeaways from the company's innovation journey, sharing insights into translating research into market opportunities.
- intellectual property | venture capital | early-stage capital | business start-up
- Thursday 18 June 2026, 10:30 - 12:00 (CEST)
- Online only
- Live streaming available
Practical information
- When
- Thursday 18 June 2026, 10:30 - 12:00 (CEST)
- Where
- Online only
- Livestream
- Starts on Thursday 18 June 2026, 10:30 (CEST)
- Languages
- English
- Website
- Find out more
Description
CASE STUDY
Lightyear: from solar cars to technology licensing (automotive sector)
Determined to develop a revolutionary solar-powered electric car, a team from the Technical University of Eindhoven founded Lightyear in 2016. Leveraging their expertise honed through multiple wins at the World Solar Challenge and an early focus on building a robust patent portfolio, they attracted investor interest and began production in 2022. Despite facing bankruptcy, their IP strategy enabled a pivot towards becoming a leading supplier of solar roof modules and charging systems.
Key takeaways from the case study:
- Building and maintaining control of a strong IP portfolio early on empowers investors and nurtures an innovation culture, which helps to attract investors and protect market position.
- It is important to establish clear agreements of ownership of background and newly created IP when collaborating with industry partners to ensure smooth co-operation and safeguard core technologies.
- Aligning the IP strategy with investor needs, including the careful use of IP securitisation, can facilitate fundraising, while avoiding complications in future financing or restructuring.
- Developing a robust IP portfolio helps future-proof the company by supporting business pivots, market adaptation and resilience during challenging times.
Read the full case study here.
SPEAKERS
Willem Bulthuis
CEO, Corporate Ventures Advisory Munich region, Germany
Willem spent more than 30 years in key positions at global high-tech corporations, such as Philips, NXP Semiconductors, and Giesecke & Devrient, across Europe and Silicon Valley. He now brings together ventures, investors and corporates to drive innovation with scalable impact, especially in the sustainable energy, transportation and construction sectors. Willem organises Venture Capital events, and is co-founder and board member of numerous ventures. He also developed "Teamaturity", a state-of-the-art tool to assess the maturity of founder teams and co-leads the European Innovation Council D2XCEL programme.
llja Rudyk
Senior Economist, Chief Economist Unit, EPO Munich, Germany
Ilja Rudyk is senior economist at the European Patent Office. He provides expert economic insights into innovation and technology commercialisation and has co-authored several studies on the role of patents and technology for the European economy.
WEBINAR SERIES
This session is part of our "From Lab to Market" training series, with one more course scheduled for November. Registration is already open:
11 November: Aligning IP with investment and growth