Ophir Kretzer-Katzir, CEO and Co-Founder, SYBARIP has been a serial entrepreneur. As the Co-Founder of SYBARIP, he has developed the industry’s first AI-backed SaaS platform that is specially designed and built for IP managers as a solution to the dauting task of managing the massive influx of complex and fragmented global IP data that results in inefficient, expensive, and non-strategic IP management. SYBARIP aims at helping organizations take advantage of this data to create value from their IP.  In an interview, he speaks on an array of topics – the benefits of AI to the IP and innovation lifecycle, utilizing its unique ability to gather and analyze global data and AI’s impact on data revolution. Excerpts from the interview:

Conception of SYBARIP

“Being in a unique position of managing strategy and IP in a major technology company, I came to realize that the holy-grail of IP management – being able to make strategic decision that will align the company/product strategy with its IP strategy, and this is hardly achievable” says Ophir. Noting that he spent most of his time in either completing tedious, admin-like tasks, or looking for answers on strategic matters by implementing guess-works practices, this technology enthusiast adds that he was looking for a solution that would be based on real data analysis, that will help analyze all the data and provide him with a reliable and unique decision-support medium for the business strategy. “Lacking such a solution in the market, I went on and founded SYBARIP to build the solution I have dreamed on.”

The Methodology

The core of the ground-breaking engine is in implementing a state-of-the-art NLP technique that allows comparison of pieces of information (mostly patent claims, and description paragraphs). Such comparisons, made with topic and semantic similarities, are the basis for a ‘strength’ assessment for IP assets (patents), that are free from subjective and mostly error-pruned manual examination. “With indications on the strength of each IP asset, our NLP goes one step forward and co-related that IP to the customer business building blocks, whether these are features, products or anything else.” With the company’s powerful AI framework, these calculations were made every day, with every update made to any IP asset around the world and thus keeping its customers at the top of their game with continuous assessment of their portfolios, adds Ophir.

AI’s Impact on Data Revolution

The ‘classic’ work of the Intellectual Property (IP) management is always limited and challenged by the overwhelming influx of data. The only way to secure true innovation in organization is to align the company’s vision, product, and IP strategies, which is the actual purpose of managing IP, observes Ophir. “Unfortunately, managing IP in such an alignment with business/product strategy requires an analysis of all the existing patents and potential priorities, which not only requires interdisciplinary capabilities that are beyond one’s reach, but the mere amounts of data to analyze rendered it virtually impossible. Due to such problematic prerequisites, organization backed into investing in quantity and not quality of their IP, and with that increased the problem even more.” AI captures the promise of being able to analyze huge amounts of data in a heartbeat and doing that in a ‘smart’ way that was never available before. Such NLP-based techniques allow us to break the obstacles we suffered from for years, and direct us on a business-based management path, that relies on real data. “That’s the impact of the data revolution and the importance of AI as the facilitating medium to that revolution.”

Leadership Traits

“Optimistic yet realistic – never be discouraged by a potential failure or a path that looks risky at first. Believe you will be able to succeed but be realistic about the chances of such success” suggests Ophir. The entrepreneur suggests that failure is the best teacher. Fail fast on a “small scale”, and you’ll be able to cope with bigger potential failures moving forward. Don’t be afraid to jump to the deep water in day one, and move as fast as possible, even at the price of making those mistakes and failures.”

“Running a startup is like being a fire fighter. You are always required to deal with fires, to prepare to the unplanned and to improvise on the fly while always looking around for potential risks and pitfalls. This is a team effort.”

SYBARIP is the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Recognition Award given by the International Society of Service Innovation Professionals and Ophir expresses happiness over the firm being recognized by such a prestigious group as ISSIP. “It is a indeed testament to the hard work our team has put into the product, and reinforces the need for innovation in the IP management space,” he signs off.