Services / IP Collateral & Investment Protection

Protect the IP behind every loan or investment

Contracts assign ownership and grant security interests — but they're only half of what you need. EscrowTech documents and securely stores the IP embodiments themselves, giving investors and lenders dated, independent corroboration of what the company actually owns.

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The problem

Contracts assign ownership. Escrow proves it exists.

Before you invest in or lend to a company, you need to ensure it actually owns the intellectual property it claims to possess — and that founders and employees will continue to create relevant IP with your funds. The value of your investment or the security of your loan may depend on it.

Attorneys can prepare contracts that assign IP from founders and employees to the company and grant security interests over it. Those contracts are essential — but they're only half of what you need. Without independent, dated proof of the underlying materials, your collateral may be unidentifiable when it matters.

IP escrow is the other half. Dated corroboration plus retrieval rights — so your security interest can actually be enforced.

Founders & employees leave with IP

They walk out with source code, trade secrets, invention disclosures, encryption keys, and other proprietary materials.

Outdated or missing materials behind

What's left at the company is incomplete, stale, or simply gone — and impossible to reconstruct after the fact.

Disputed ownership claims

Founders argue the IP was developed after leaving and that the assignment contracts they signed don't apply.

Collateral that can't be located

Your security interest is only as good as your ability to identify and retrieve the underlying IP when it matters.

What you can protect

Deposit virtually any embodiment of IP

Materials are held in a depository dedicated to protecting you — the investor or lender. Periodic deposits build an independently corroborated audit trail of the company's intellectual property.

Computer programs

Source code, build artifacts, and development environments.

Confidential documents

Internal records, technical specs, and proprietary materials.

Invention disclosures

Documentation of inventions and conception records.

Drawings

Engineering drawings, schematics, and design files.

Prototypes

Working prototypes and physical embodiments of the technology.

Samples

Physical samples that evidence the underlying IP.

Formulas

Proprietary formulations, recipes, and chemical compositions.

Data

Datasets, databases, and structured technical information.

Encryption keys

Securely escrowed keys for future verified access.

How it works

From deposit to enforceable collateral

  1. 01

    Set up the depository

    A dedicated depository is established for the benefit of the investor or lender.

  2. 02

    Periodic deposits

    The company deposits IP embodiments — source code, documents, prototypes, keys, and more.

  3. 03

    Date & corroborate

    EscrowTech dates and confirms each deposit, building an independently corroborated audit trail.

  4. 04

    Two-site secure storage

    Materials held in EscrowTech's Perpetual Storage Vault and on-site facility — guarded, monitored, fire-protected.

  5. 05

    Inspect or retrieve

    Investors and lenders can inspect or retrieve materials per the agreement — including upon default.

Who it's for

Built for investors and lenders

Venture capital & private equity

Verify what the company owns at the time of investment, and build a running record of what's created with your capital. Defeat after-the-fact claims that key IP was developed elsewhere.

Lenders & secured creditors

A security interest in IP is only as enforceable as your ability to identify and retrieve it. IP escrow makes the collateral concrete, dated, and recoverable on default.

M&A and joint ventures

Establish the IP baseline at deal close and track contributions through the life of the venture — independently corroborated.

Operating companies

Reassure investors and lenders, and protect against rogue-employee scenarios with periodic, dated deposits of mission-critical IP.

IP Protection fees

Transparent pricing, locked for 3 years

The cost of an IP escrow is minuscule compared to the loss of uncollectable collateral or an unverifiable investment.

Basic Fee
$1,595/year

Per account

  • $995 one-time setup fee
  • Includes 2 cu. ft. of vault storage
  • Fees locked for the first three years
  • First-year satisfaction guarantee — full refund if not satisfied
One-time Setup Fee
$995
Inspection
$295+ $125/hr for EscrowTech rep
Release of Deposit Materials
$295per release
Extra Deposits
$90each, beyond annual allotment
Excess Storage
$70per cu. ft. /yr beyond 2 cu. ft.
First-Year Guarantee
100%satisfaction or full refund

Excess Storage Charge applies only beyond the 2 cu. ft. included with your account.

Don't lend or invest on faith alone

Pair your contracts with an IP escrow — and turn assignments and security interests into something you can actually enforce.

Pair with IP Audit Trail