CARLSBAD–The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is looking for inventors, mentors and innovators for its newest program, one that gives inventors the tools they need to develop their ideas and push their products into the marketplace.
Inventing Profit is a resource forum for inventors and entrepreneurs. It provides quality speakers, workshops on the invention-to-profit path, periodical mentoring sessions with industry professionals and inventing competitions.
The group meets at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, 5934 Priestly Drive from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. The group is free and Chamber membership is not required.
The group was started by Chamber member and patent attorney Eric Hanscom of InterContinental IP and Joe Donohue, president of Leardon Solutions, a company that provides product development services to inventors and entrepreneurs.
Hanscom said the two were talking about how few inventors — less than one half of 1 percent — can get their products to market by invention promotion companies.
“We realized that the goal behind theses companies is a good one; they’re one -stop shops for everything you need as an inventor,” Hanscom said. “The problem is that they do this so poorly, they have a low success rate.”
Inventing Profit is about taking those concepts, but with a better execution.
The group draws about 25 people each meeting. It’s been held at many locations since it began — most recently a brewery — but Hanscom said a permanent venue was needed to help the group reach the next level.
Toni Padron, the chamber’s executive vide president and COO, said the collaboration between the Chamber and Inventing Profit makes sense.
“These are, potentially, future businesses that will drive our economy and it’s exciting to be there from the beginning,” Padron said. “This is another example of how the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, its members and new ideas can come together for the benefit of our community.”
For more information, call (760) 931-8400, or visit www.carlsbad.org.
