Aquaporo: Provisionals filed before the seed raise.

Aquaporo harvests potable water directly from the air using a proprietary sorbent-based platform. The technology targets sites where piped or desalinated water does not reach, or reaches only at high cost, such as inland, remote, and infrastructure-limited locations. Where waste heat is available, the economics improve further.

Aquaporo was entering a crowded technical field. Atmospheric water generation has been the subject of decades of academic research, industrial patent filings, and consumer product development, so identifying defensible claim scope required a careful review of the existing landscape.

The founding team's roots are in academic research on porous materials, so the strategy had to account for both the third-party prior art in a relatively mature field and the team's own publication history.

At the same time, Aquaporo was preparing to raise its seed round. The team needed provisional applications on file before beginning detailed investor conversations and needed to be able to explain the strength of its IP position during diligence.

We began with a strategy session to identify the aspects of the technology that remained patentable in light of the prior art.

From there, we prepared and filed three provisional applications in quick succession. Each application covered a distinct part of the technology, giving Aquaporo several strategic options as the product and fundraising process developed.

We also supported the company during investor diligence, explaining the scope of the provisional applications, answering technical questions about their defensibility, and helping the team present its IP position clearly and credibly.

Aquaporo closed its seed round with three provisional applications on file. Those applications were later developed into two PCT applications. Two of the original provisionals were consolidated into a single application, and both international applications have since received favorable international search reports.