System and method for enabling product development

Abstract

A comprehensive platform for developing digital products. A standardized process is applied to a product development effort and an online portal provides tools to aid the product development, assessment, funding and commercializing products. Project management, workflow and data security functionality enable consistent, efficient and secure interactions between users. Business rules, workflows, valuation models and rating methods may be user defined or based upon marketplace, industry or technology standards.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 designing, by a computer-based system, a market research study for an opportunity and a target market;   creating, by the computer-based system and based on a type of the opportunity, a marketing package for the opportunity;   presenting, by the computer-based system, the opportunity, the marketing package for the opportunity, and results from the market research study to a potential investor;   receiving, by the computer-based system, feedback on the opportunity from the investor; and   transmitting, by the computer-based system and from a mobile alert tool, a mobile alert to the first user in response to the receiving the feedback from the investor.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising presenting, by the computer-based system, a first question in an interactive assessment template. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the interactive assessment template includes fields which request standardized data for assessing an opportunity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system and from a first user, a first response to a first question, wherein the first response is part of the standardized data. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, a second question based at least partially upon a first response to a first question, wherein the first response indicates that the first user is at least one of an entrepreneur or an inventor. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system, a second response to the second question, wherein the second response is part of the standardized data. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing to a first user, by the computer-based system via an online portal and based at least partially upon standardized data, a plurality of tools for developing at least one of the opportunity or a product associated with the opportunity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein, in response the first user being an entrepreneur, the plurality of tools comprises a search tool, an interactive assessment tool, a statistical scoring tool, an access configuration tool, a recommendations tool, a storage tool, a feedback tool, an expert advice tool, a web recording tool, a market research tool, a project management tool, a prototype tool, a demonstration tool, a connect and recommend tool and a mobile alert tool. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the opportunity comprises at least one of a digital product or a digital service. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising configuring, by the computer-based system, the online portal with a personalized user interface for the first user, wherein the configuring is based upon at least one of the opportunity, an industry or a user preference. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the computer-based system and based upon the opportunity, a standard set of processes for developing the opportunity. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising determining, by the computer-based system and based upon the opportunity, a standardized set of tools for developing the opportunity, wherein the providing the plurality of tools comprises providing the standardized set of tools. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system, opportunity data, wherein the opportunity data comprises a title, a description and at least one of a product image or a link to product information, wherein the product is associated with the opportunity. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the receiving the opportunity data comprises, receiving the opportunity data via the online portal and based upon the template. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising validating, by the computer-based system, the opportunity data based upon predefined rules. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising, in response the first user being the entrepreneur, receiving, by the computer-based system, a digital upload comprising at least one of a digital product or a digital service. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising creating, by the computer-based system, a marketing package based upon at least one of the opportunity or the digital product and receiving, by the computer-based system and from the first user an approval to allow a second user access to at least one of the opportunity data or the marketing package. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the computer-based system, IP documentation for an IP asset;   validating, by the computer-based system, the IP documentation; and   receiving, by the computer-based system, an IP owner approval of the IP documentation.   
     
     
         19 . A system comprising:
 a processor,   a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,   the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:   designing, by the processor, a market research study for an opportunity and a target market;   creating, by the processor and based on a type of the opportunity, a marketing package for the opportunity;   presenting, by the processor, the opportunity, the marketing package for the opportunity, and results from the market research study to a potential investor;   receiving, by the processor, feedback on the opportunity from the investor; and   transmitting, by the processor and from a mobile alert tool, a mobile alert to the first user in response to the receiving the feedback from the investor.   
     
     
         20 . An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:
 designing, by the computer-based system, a market research study for an opportunity and a target market;   creating, by the computer-based system and based on a type of the opportunity, a marketing package for the opportunity;   presenting, by the computer-based system, the opportunity, the marketing package for the opportunity, and results from the market research study to a potential investor;   receiving, by the computer-based system, feedback on the opportunity from the investor; and   transmitting, by the computer-based system and from a mobile alert tool, a mobile alert to the first user in response to the receiving the feedback from the investor.