Octimine

Octimine, a subsidiary of the Dennemeyer Group, operates as a specialized provider of semantic patent analysis and information retrieval. The company was established in Munich, Germany, in 2015 by Dr. Michael Natterer and Dr. Matthias Pötzl, with Professor Dr. Dietmar Harhoff serving as a scientific advisor. The founders originated from a research team at the Max Planck Institute and LMU Munich. Pötzl's background is in physics and strategic management consulting, while Natterer is a computer scientist; they commercialized Natterer's Ph.D. research on machine learning and natural language processing with patent data. After securing a seed funding round of $1.12 million in June 2017, Octimine was acquired by the global IP service provider Dennemeyer Group in November 2018, though it continues to operate under its original name.

The firm's core offering is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that streamlines patent searching and analysis. The platform is engineered for a diverse clientele, including large corporations like Siemens and Adidas, small and medium-sized enterprises, patent attorneys, and R&D departments at institutions such as Harvard University. Revenue is generated through a monthly subscription model based on the volume of patent searches and via an API that allows other software companies to integrate Octimine's technology.

Octimine's platform utilizes artificial intelligence, machine learning, and semantic algorithms to search a database of over 100 million patents. Users can input various forms of text, such as patent numbers, invention disclosures, or product descriptions, to conduct searches. The system delivers ranked results and interactive visual analytics, including technology timelines and top applicant charts, to help users understand the competitive landscape. Key features include the ability to combine AI-powered semantic search with traditional Boolean queries, automatic monitoring of new publications, and collaborative tools for teams to share, tag, and review documents. The platform is designed to support various IP-related tasks, such as prior-art searches, freedom-to-operate analyses, and opposition searches, making complex patent data accessible to both IP professionals and non-specialists like R&D engineers.

Keywords: patent analysis, semantic patent search, intellectual property management, machine learning, IP analytics, prior art search, freedom-to-operate, patent landscaping, Dennemeyer Group, SaaS, AI-powered search, IP intelligence, technology lifecycle, patent valuation, patent monitoring, innovation management, R&D tools, IP software, natural language processing, Dietmar Harhoff, Michael Natterer, Matthias Pötzl