I have two brief nanotechnology commercialization stories from the same publication.
Corporate venture capital (CVC) and the nano market
From a March 23, 2024 article on statnano.com, Note: Links have been removed,
Nanotechnology’s enormous potential across various sectors has long attracted the eye of investors, keen to capitalise on its commercial potency.
Yet the initial propulsion provided by traditional venture capital avenues was reined back when the reality of long development timelines, regulatory hurdles, and difficulty in translating scientific advances into commercially viable products became apparent.
While the initial flurry of activity declined in the early part of the 21st century, a new kid on the investing block has proved an enticing option beyond traditional funding methods.
Corporate venture capital has, over the last 10 years emerged as a key plank in turning ideas into commercial reality.
Simply put, corporate venture capital (CVC) has seen large corporations, recognising the strategic value of nanotechnology, establish their own VC arms to invest in promising start-ups.
The likes of Samsung, Johnson & Johnson and BASF have all sought to get an edge on their competition by sinking money into start-ups in nano and other technologies, which could deliver benefits to them in the long term.
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Unlike traditional VC firms, CVCs invest with a strategic lens, aligning their investments with their core business goals. For instance, BASF’s venture capital arm, BASF Venture Capital, focuses on nanomaterials with applications in coatings, chemicals, and construction.
It has an evergreen EUR 250 million fund available and will consider everything from seed to Series B investment opportunities.
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Samsung Ventures takes a similar approach, explaining: “Our major investment areas are in semiconductors, telecommunication, software, internet, bioengineering and the medical industry from start-ups to established companies that are about to be listed on the stock market.
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While historically concentrated in North America and Europe, CVC activity in nanotechnology is expanding to Asia, with China being a major player.
China has, perhaps not surprisingly, seen considerable growth over the last decade in nano and few will bet against it being the primary driver of innovation over the next 10 years.
As ever, the long development cycles of emerging nano breakthroughs can frequently deter some CVCs with shorter investment horizons.
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2023 Nanotechnology patent applications: which countries top the list?
A March 28, 2024 article from statnano.com provides interesting data concerning patent applications,
In 2023, a total of 18,526 nanotechnology patent applications were published at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). The United States accounted for approximately 40% of these nanotechnology patent publications, followed by China, South Korea, and Japan in the next positions.
According to a statistical analysis conducted by StatNano using data from the Orbit database, the USPTO published 84% of the 18,526 nanotechnology patent applications in 2023, which is more than five times the number published by the EPO. However, the EPO saw a nearly 17% increase in nanotechnology patent publications compared to the previous year, while the USPTO’s growth was around 4%.
Nanotechnology patents are defined based on the ISO/TS 18110 standard as those having at least one claim related to nanotechnology orpatents classified with an IPC classification code related to nanotechnology such as B82.
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From the March 28, 2024 article,
Top 10 Countries Based on Published Patent Applications in the Field of Nanotechnology in USPTO in 2023
| Rank1 | Country | Number of nanotechnology published patent applications in USPTO | Number of nanotechnology published patent applications in EPO | Growth rate in USPTO | Growth rate in EPO |
| 1 | United States | 6,926 | 492 | 3.20% | 17.40% |
| 2 | South Korea | 1,715 | 476 | 13.40% | 8.40% |
| 3 | China | 1,627 | 569 | 4.20% | 47.40% |
| 4 | Taiwan | 1,118 | 61 | 5.00% | -12.90% |
| 5 | Japan | 1,113 | 445 | -1.20% | 9.30% |
| 6 | Germany | 484 | 229 | -10.20% | 15.70% |
| 7 | England | 331 | 50 | 5.10% | 16.30% |
| 8 | France | 323 | 145 | -8.00% | 17.90% |
| 9 | Canada | 290 | 12 | 5.10% | -14.30% |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia | 268 | 3 | 22.40% | 0.00% |
If you have a bit of time and interest, I suggest reading the March 28, 2024 article in its entirety.