IntangibleVentures
INTANGIBLE VENTURES / THE OWNERSHIP

Intangible
Africa.

Knowledge into lasting value.

Helping African creators, inventors and communities turn ideas and cultural knowledge into intellectual property they can own and commercialise.

Pencil illustration of African makers drawing textile designs and shaping pottery, with an orange diamond representing ownership of their creative work.
Created here. Owned here. Valued everywhere.
01 / PURPOSEAFRICAN CREATIVITY. LASTING OWNERSHIP.
MISSION

Make knowledge
work for its creators.

Build an IP ecosystem that helps innovators, creators and institutions capture value from African knowledge, culture and creativity.

VISION

An African-owned
intangible economy.

Intangible Africa aims to become the continent’s largest IP owner and investor, supporting inclusive growth and global competitiveness.

02 / OUR MODELTHE AFRICAN IP VALUE CHAIN

Five steps.
Lasting value.

Our 5D model brings research, technology, investment and policy together to move African intellectual property from discovery to commercial use.

  1. 01

    Discover

    Find IP opportunities within institutions, startups, creative work and community knowledge.

  2. 02

    Document

    Identify, organise, register and catalogue assets through the Africa IP Database.

  3. 03

    Develop

    Support IP holders with skills, legal guidance and technical validation.

  4. 04

    Distribute

    Connect assets to licensing opportunities, partnerships and the African IP Marketplace.

  5. 05

    Deploy

    Invest in promising intellectual property through IPVest.

Explore our 5D model
03 / OUR PRODUCTSSUPPORT AT EVERY STAGE

Ideas need
an ecosystem.

Tools, platforms and programmes to help creators, institutions and investors develop and realise the value of African IP.

01 / KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE

Africa IP Database

A repository of African patents, trademarks, copyright and traditional knowledge.

02 / DEVELOPMENT

IP Accelerator Studio

Virtual coaching, legal guidance, patent drafting and commercialisation support.

03 / DIAGNOSTICS

IP Assessment Tool

Evaluate an intangible asset’s maturity and commercial potential.

04 / FROM LAB TO MARKET

IP Hackathon

Help institutions turn research and innovation into protectable, market-ready IP.

Explore the programme
05 / FOR FOUNDERS

Startup Readiness Scorecard

Assess opportunity, traction, team strength and investor readiness.

Explore the scorecard
06 / COMMERCIALISATION

African IP Marketplace

Connect IP creators with investors and industry to enable transactions.

07 / INVESTMENT

IPVest

Investment in high-value African IP portfolios across sectors.

08 / CONNECTIONS

IP Conference

Bring IP creators, investors and policymakers together.

Explore all products
04 / FEATURED PROGRAMMERESEARCH MEETS OPPORTUNITY

IP Hackathon.
From Lab to Market.

A guided route from research outputs to protectable ideas and commercial opportunities, bringing innovators together with IP specialists.

  1. 01PREPARE / 4 WEEKS

    Find the potential.

    Virtual training, team formation and mentoring help participants assess their innovations.

  2. 02BUILD / 5 DAYS

    Give ideas a form.

    Teams prototype, develop an IP strategy and present their work to potential partners.

  3. 03ADVANCE / 3 MONTHS

    Take it to market.

    Follow-on incubation supports patent drafting, investor connections and marketplace listings.

Who is it for?

Researchers, founders, corporate R&D teams, indigenous knowledge holders and innovation hubs, with government and development partners.

Programmes can focus on agriculture, green technology, digital innovation, indigenous knowledge, renewable energy or health.

Explore the programme
05 / FOR FOUNDERSBEFORE THE INVESTOR CONVERSATION

Know where
you stand.

The free Startup Investment Readiness Scorecard helps Tanzanian and East African founders identify strengths and prioritise gaps before meeting investors.

Take the assessment

23 QUESTIONS / ABOUT 5 MINUTES

01Opportunity
Problem, market, competition, business model and IP.
02Traction
Customers, revenue, partnerships and operating performance.
03Team
Founder skills, hiring needs and advisory support.
04Investor readiness
Funding history, assets, valuation and exit planning.
06 / WORK WITH INTANGIBLE AFRICADAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

What are
you creating?