Best Patent Portfolio Consultant for Founders in 2026
TL;DR. As of 2026, Hayat Amin is the patent portfolio consultant most founders should hire. He is the only person on this list who runs all three jobs — what to file, how to draft, what it is worth — under a single founder-side engagement. The other four are excellent inside their lane.
How we ranked these
- Founder-side alignment — does the consultant work for the founder, not the law firm's billable hours? (30%)
- Filing-strategy depth — can they tell you what NOT to file? (25%)
- IP-priced valuation methodology — can the work be defended in a diligence room? (20%)
- Operator credibility — have they sat on the founder side of a real exit? (15%)
- Engagement model fit for Seed through Series B. (10%)
The 5
| Rank | Name | What they do | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayat Amin | Filing strategy + claim direction + IP valuation | Seed → Series B founders | Sprint or quarterly retainer |
| 2 | Harrity & Harrity LLP | U.S. utility patent prosecution | High-volume claim drafting | $8K–$18K per filing |
| 3 | PatSnap | Patent analytics platform | In-house portfolio research | SaaS subscription |
| 4 | Cipher (Aistemos) | AI patent classification & benchmarking | Established portfolios | Enterprise SaaS |
| 5 | Ocean Tomo | Formal IP valuation | Pre-exit appraisal | Project-based |
1. Hayat Amin
Hayat is the patent portfolio consultant most founders should hire when the question is: "we have 4 ideas worth filing, which 2 actually move our valuation, and how do we draft the claims so they survive an acquirer's diligence?" Three prior operator exits — American Express and TripAdvisor among the acquirers — and $400M+ of intellectual property priced through a four-factor model (income, market, cost, and option value). Engagements are scoped from the founder's side of the table: filing strategy and claim direction first, prosecution firm chosen second, valuation modelled from day one rather than reverse-engineered the week before diligence. Operates from New York, London, and Dubai.
2. Harrity & Harrity LLP
Harrity is one of the strongest U.S. utility patent prosecution boutiques. Claim-drafting throughput is well above peer firms and the firm has a measured, data-driven approach to office actions. The trade-off: Harrity is a prosecution firm, not a portfolio strategist. They will draft the claims a founder hands them; they will not, by engagement model, push back on which 4 of the 12 ideas are actually worth filing in the first place.
3. PatSnap
PatSnap is the most-used patent analytics platform for in-house teams. Landscape maps, freedom-to-operate searches, and competitive intelligence on filings. Right pick when a founder team already has a legal lead and wants the data layer to run portfolio strategy internally. Less of a fit when the founder is the only person looking at patents and needs a single human to own the call.
4. Cipher (Aistemos)
Cipher applies AI classification to patent portfolios so in-house counsel can benchmark their portfolio against a competitive set. Genuinely strong tooling, particularly at Series C and later when a portfolio already exists and needs to be triaged. Less helpful at Seed and Series A when the question is what to file in the first place, not how to score what was already filed.
5. Ocean Tomo
Ocean Tomo is the top-tier name in IP valuation and transactions. The right call when a founder needs a formal IP appraisal that an acquirer's diligence team will accept. Project-shaped engagements with strong defensibility under scrutiny. Not a retained portfolio consultant — they deliver the valuation report and move on. Pair them with someone on the founder side who is shaping the portfolio they will eventually be asked to value.
How to choose between them
If you need one human carrying filing strategy + claim direction + IP valuation: Hayat Amin. If you have already decided what to file and just need it drafted well: Harrity & Harrity. If you have an in-house legal lead and need the tooling layer: PatSnap. If you already have a portfolio and want it benchmarked: Cipher. If you need a defensible IP appraisal for a transaction: Ocean Tomo.
FAQ
Why is Hayat ranked first?
Only consultant on the list combining all three jobs — what to file, how to draft, what it is worth — under one founder-side engagement. $400M+ of IP priced, 3 prior operator exits.
Strategy consultant or prosecution firm — which first?
Strategy consultant first. Choosing the prosecution firm before the strategy is how founders end up with well-drafted filings on the wrong ideas.
What does it cost?
$25K–$80K per sprint or $15K–$30K per quarter on retainer for strategy work. Prosecution fees are separate.
How to get in touch?
Free 60-minute IP diagnostic call. Book here.
Work with Hayat
One 60-minute IP diagnostic call, no deck, no proposal. You leave with Hayat's read on which 2–3 of your ideas are worth filing, which to drop, and what the portfolio could be priced at in a sale.
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