Protecting the core: How LionVolt builds its future on IP

For LionVolt, intellectual property is not just a legal asset - it’s the company’s foundation. In the hyper-competitive world of battery technology, patents, trade secrets, and a carefully crafted IP strategy help the Eindhoven-based deep tech startup secure its future. "We’re not just developing products," says co-founder and CTO Sandeep Unnikrishnan. "We’re building a sustainable and thriving business."

LionVolt’s story began five years ago as a spin-off from TNO, the Dutch applied research institute. Even before officially founding the company, the founding team focused on securing the essential building blocks of intellectual property (IP). “We said: this is a deep tech company. To get it to success, we need to make sure we have crucial patents in place,” recalls Unnikrishnan.

That early work at TNO gave foundational patent families, which LionVolt used as the basis for its spin-out. Since then, the IP portfolio has expanded considerably. “We have now developed additional patent families on top of the original ones,” Unnikrishnan says. “And these are families, meaning the invention is filed across multiple regions: for instance, in Europe, the US, Japan, Korea, China - wherever strategic markets exist.”

A deliberate and global strategy

The global scope of LionVolt’s filings follows a playbook well-known in the Dutch high-tech sector, one heavily influenced by IP leaders like Philips. “One of the great advantages of being at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to IP strategy,” says Unnikrishnan. But unlike established industries, the battery field is evolving rapidly. New markets, such as India and Australia, are becoming increasingly relevant, prompting LionVolt to expand its IP coverage even further. “It’s getting more expensive, but at the same time, we’re preparing for the future.” LionVolt works with patenting firms in the Netherlands as well as in the UK. 

Crucially, this long-term approach is supported by LionVolt’s investors. “Our investors are IP-mindful,” Unnikrishnan notes. “They see patents not as a cost but as a way to build long-term company value, and even support with a IP mentor.”

Fencing: building defensive walls around the core

Beyond protecting its direct inventions, LionVolt practices "fencing": filing patents not only on its core battery anode technology but also on peripheral applications and battery integration concepts. “Even though we don’t make, for instance, phone batteries, we might patent how our anode could be used in such a battery. Otherwise, another company could file that and block us from supplying to that market,” explains Unnikrishnan. “It’s about protecting our freedom to operate.”

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The freedom to operate (FTO) is an expensive but essential step for any company navigating crowded patent landscapes. LionVolt has already conducted preliminary FTO analyses and also engaged in a scan, partly supported by Dutch advisors like the Netherlands Patent Office (part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO). “For our exploratory patent search, they helped us with their IP Smart Scan last year. That was quite useful to validate that we were on the right track,” says Unnikrishnan. “We’ll do more detailed FTO assessments for our core patents as we approach market entry.”

The role of trade secrets and company know-how

But patents are only part of the equation. Much of LionVolt’s expertise is also locked away in confidential company knowledge: processes, protocols, and fabrication methods that are harder to patent but equally valuable. “We document everything internally with timestamps, and sometimes even validated by external legal parties. That way, if someone files a patent later on a process we already use, we can demonstrate prior use in court,” Unnikrishnan explains.

This dual approach - patenting where possible, and keeping specific know-how as trade secrets - reflects the complexity of protecting deep tech innovations. “You can always check if someone infringes on a design or material patent,” says Unnikrishnan. “But processes are often invisible to outsiders. That’s where company secrets come in.”

AI: A new tool in the IP arsenal

With the exponential increase in the sheer volume of global patents, LionVolt is also exploring specialized and protected AI-based tools to assist with potential infringement checks and FTO studies. “AI can scan millions of documents and connect dots that would take humans months or even longer to piece together,” Unnikrishnan says. “Of course, you still need experts to verify the AI’s findings. But it’s becoming an indispensable tool.”

At the same time, LionVolt adheres to strict internal guidelines for the responsible use of AI and IP search tools. “We constantly remind our employees: never enter any confidential keywords into public searches or AI tools. We protect our know-how like any valuable asset, also with proper IT security put in place.”

Complementing, not competing

Ultimately, LionVolt’s patent strategy reflects its business model. Unlike some battery startups that tried to take on incumbent Asian giants head-on with so-called "MeToo technologies," LionVolt focuses on its unique 3D anode technology, designed as a drop-in solution for existing battery manufacturers. “We don’t ask manufacturers to change their entire production lines. They can simply replace the graphite anode with our 3D metal anode and gain better performance,” Unnikrishnan explains.

The combination of a tightly focused product, a robust patent portfolio, a dynamic team, strong investor support, and a vibrant local ecosystem gives LionVolt confidence in its future. “IP is a business in itself,” Unnikrishnan concludes. “In deep tech, if you don’t get it right from the start, you’re already vulnerable. For companies like us, protecting our innovation is as important as developing it.”