TiPLab Files IPO Prospectus: Driving Disruption in IP Services for Biopharma and Intelligent Manufacturing

In this era of rapid change and immense challenges, propelling a company forward requires not only the “pull” from the front but also the “protection” from behind.

Taking biopharmaceutical companies as an example, every stage of a drug’s journey from preclinical research to market approval embodies the intellectual contributions of R&D personnel and requires patent applications to secure legal protection. The significance of the intellectual property services industry lies in helping enterprises obtain exclusive protection through statutory procedures, thereby maintaining their competitive advantage in the marketplace.

TiPLab is a research-driven consulting firm specializing in the strategic management of intellectual property assets. Leveraging its core database resources, in-depth understanding of technical knowledge in relevant fields, and proprietary computer-aided tools, TiPLab helps companies in sectors such as biopharmaceuticals and intelligent manufacturing address intellectual property challenges.

What Kind of Company Is TiPLab? How Does It Differ from Traditional Patent Agencies? What Services Can It Provide to Enterprises? With These Questions in Mind, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) Conducted an Exclusive Interview with Dr. Zhang Cheng, Co-Founder of TiPLab and Head of Its Biopharmaceutical Division.

Unlike comprehensive service agencies, TiPLab’s service scope is highly focused, specializing in core intellectual property issues for clients in the biopharmaceutical and intelligent manufacturing sectors.

Business focus on niche segments requires a professional background, making the two founders particularly important:

Dr. Zhang Cheng graduated from Tsinghua University and earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich, as well as a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property from ETH Zurich. She oversees the company’s operations in the biomedical sector. Prior to founding TiPLab, Dr. Zhang accumulated over a decade of practical experience in the intellectual property industry, with extensive familiarity with the practices of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the Patent Reexamination Board, and Chinese courts.

Wang Zaichao, who oversees the company’s intelligent manufacturing business, holds a degree in Electronic and Information Engineering and has over a decade of experience in the intellectual property (IP) field. He specializes in drafting patent applications and responding to office actions, with particular expertise in patent analysis and portfolio strategy for new products. Additionally, Mr. Wang has long assisted clients with IP-related matters, including patent mining, portfolio deployment, establishment and training of patent departments, and the formulation and implementation of patent strategies. He offers unique insights into patent search and valuation, infringement determination, invalidation and reexamination proceedings, and responses in administrative adjudications, and has served as a key participant in numerous patent litigation cases.

The other two co-founders are responsible for the company’s overall strategy and operations.

For professional services firms, maintaining a high level of professionalism demands exceptional comprehensive capabilities from individuals. Therefore, under the leadership of its four founders, TiPLab has chosen to cultivate its team internally. VCBeat has learned that TiPLab typically evaluates and develops its team across three essential dimensions: alignment with core values, standards of professional ethics, and professional knowledge coupled with learning agility. All three elements are indispensable.

Zhang Cheng told VCBeat that there are a large number of patent agencies in China specializing in patent representation. These firms offer a variety of services, but most are designed merely to meet specific client needs by providing solutions to particular issues. For instance, if a company seeks to file a patent, the agency provides patent prosecution services; if a company aims to avoid infringement, the agency conducts Freedom to Operate (FTO) searches and analyses (i.e., infringement risk assessments).

In this model, clients pay for individual services, and firms price based on time. However, these practices are often limited to the inherent issues of intellectual property itself. In reality, clients seek a service provider that stands within their own value chain and helps them think strategically.

Zhang Cheng stated that TiPLab aimed to align more closely with the industry from its inception. By continuously experimenting with and exploring IT tools, integrating professional patent databases, and leveraging the team’s extensive experience in this field, TiPLab provides clients with cost-effective, customized, and exclusive services.

“Our approach is not merely to provide services when a company needs to make a specific decision (such as executing a particular task based on the company’s specific objectives), but rather to help companies systematically manage risks in a cost-controllable manner, preventing problems before they occur,” Zhang Cheng told VCBeat.

To this end, TiPLab’s products and services are designed to closely align with the entire R&D pipeline, addressing the primary priorities at each stage of product development, while its billing model ensures manageable budgets and costs.

In terms of specific practices, TiPLab assists clients in conducting systematic screenings at the early stages of a project and continues to monitor the project as R&D progresses. Even if enterprises need to make certain decisions during the R&D process, TiPLab can quickly provide a solution.

TiPLab targets innovation-driven pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises in China that are in their growth or startup stages.

Zhang Cheng told VCBeat that, for pharmaceutical companies, the key lies in identifying and monitoring potential infringement risks throughout the R&D process in alignment with corporate business objectives, so as to take timely preventive and avoidance measures to effectively control such risks and minimize the commercial risks that may arise after product launch.

In response, TiPLab has provided pharmaceutical enterprise clients with a “three-step” strategic recommendation:

I. Preparatory Phase

TiPLab intervenes at the early stages of product development (project initiation phase), helping companies conduct systematic searches and screenings as early as possible. Zhang Zheng stated that if companies can perform relatively systematic risk assessments during the early R&D phase, they may identify potential patent barriers (patents already granted or under examination), allowing them to take preventive or avoidance measures in advance.

For early-stage projects, TiPLab conducts targeted patent searches and comprehensive patent landscape analyses to help clients clarify the competitive landscape, map out “patent minefields,” and assist in charting a viable path that minimizes exposure to “patent mines.”

II. Continuous Monitoring Phase

Patent landscapes, much like R&D efforts, are in constant flux. This is particularly true in highly competitive technological fields, where the number of newly filed or published patents continues to grow, and the status of existing patents (or patent applications) frequently changes. Therefore, TiPLab assists enterprises in conducting long-term monitoring that spans the entire R&D lifecycle.

TiPLab regularly assists clients in updating their ever-changing “patent minefield maps” and redefining the “patent minefields” in light of adjustments to their technical solutions, thereby helping R&D personnel stay abreast of patent developments and make necessary adjustments to support corresponding R&D decision-making.

III. Preventive Strategies

TiPLab regularly engages in discussions and exchanges with pharmaceutical enterprise clients regarding potential risks to stay abreast of new developments and changes. Following a client’s technological improvements, TiPLab adjusts its search strategy based on the updated protocol, conducts supplementary searches, and subsequently provides the client with updated search and analysis results.

In addition to helping clients resolve specific intellectual property issues, TiPLab is also committed to helping clients identify underlying, yet-to-emerge problems or obstacles earlier; leveraging IP tools to assist clients in formulating technology strategies; guiding clients in pacing their actions to effectively mitigate business risks in a timely manner; and securing competitive advantages.

Zhang Cheng emphasized that different enterprises have different product forms—self-developed, co-developed, or licensed-in—and thus face varying needs. For self-developed products or those introduced at an early stage, TiPLab recommends that companies initiate relevant work as early as possible.

It is worth noting that TiPLab also places great emphasis on systematic patent research, with research areas covering patent protection strategies for key products, patent application and drafting strategies, and reviews of representative patent dispute cases within the industry.

TiPLab printed all research reports into booklets in mid-January, reserving a few copies for VCBeat readers. Interested individuals may contact the reporter via WeChat (ID: Shirley_CaiAx) to apply.