Educational Webinar Series New – Inventors Groups of America

Scroll down to the bottom for past webinar replays.

Welcome to the

IGA Educational Webinar Series

Our webinars took place monthly in 2019 – 2022 and features different successful inventors, industry experts, educators, and executives to give you the information, tips, and insights you need to get ahead with your invention.

Featured Webinar Guests

Tariq Najee-ullah

Founders Legal - Patent Agent - Patent Drafting, Patent Research

Sarah Shaw

CEO of Entrepenette, and Celebrity Designer

Rick Kellow

Inventor of the GreatPlate

Paul Fatehi

Founder of Fintech IP - Prior Art Searcher, former Patent Examiner and Senior Patent Analyst

Michael Van Horst

Successful Inventor

Mary Couzin

Chicago Toy & Game Week - Founder and President

Lisa Lloyd

Past President of UIA - Founder of Inventor's Association of Arizona

Kenny Kiernan

Kenny Kiernan has been a toy industry illustrator for 20+ years and has completed many projects for Hasbro, Fisher-Price, Spin Master, Lego and other toy companies.

Ken Johnson

Inventor of famous card game, Phase 10 - Inventor, Author, Visionary Entrepreneur, Investor, Speaker

Kedma Ough

Mt. Hood Community College - Innovation Director Statewide

Jonah White

Inventor of Billy Bob Teeth - Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Mentor, Author

Jim DeBetta

DeBetta Enterprises - President

Jason Klug

CEO & Founder of Klugonyx Group LLC, Partner and Co-founder at Onyx360, CEO & Co-founder of Dorai Home, Mechanical Engineer, and Crowdfunding Expert

Jake Ward

Registered Patent Attorney & Founder of Ward Law Office LLC, a boutique law firm specializing in the practice of patent and trademark law.

Howie Busch

An Entrepreneur, Inventor, Advisor, and Attorney, Howie is the Founder & Dude-in-Chief of DudeRobe, where he created a cooler bathrobe and lounge wear for men, and appeared on Season 9 of ABC’s Shark Tank.

Dr. Konstantin Dolgan

Co-founder LA NPDT - Product Design, Development, and Marketing

Carrie Jeske

Will It Launch? - Principal Consultant

Blake Hodgson

Owner of KC Proto, has been helping local inventors for about 4 years to turn their ideas into products.

Benjamin Harrison

Creator of Smart Pitch- Getting into companies via LinkedIn - Entrepreneur, product developer, featured in publications ranging from Vintage Guitar Magazine to Inc.

April Mitchell

April Mitchell is the inventor of the Right Height adjustable over the door hook. She is a product developer in the housewares and toys/games industry. She is a teacher by trade and enjoys coaching others through the process of licensing products.

Past IGA Educational Webinars

2022 Events

January 26th — Have a New Invention Idea – Now What? With Marc Portney, Stephen Key, and Andrew Krauss.

February 23rd — Learn How to Become a Successful Toy Inventor, with Ed Gartin, Azhelle Wade, and April Mitchell!

March 30th — How to make your sell sheet POP with augmented reality, with Courtney Laschkewitsch!

April 27th — AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Stephen Key!

May 25th — Meet Keith Chapman, Creator of Paw Patrol & Bob the Builder!

June 29th — Raising Inventors – Tips & advice from successful young entrepreneurs.

July 27th — Meet Kathi Vidal, the new Director of the USPTO!

August 31st — Pitching Tips & Strategies that will up your chances of licensing success, with Courtney Laschkewitsch

September — no meeting

October 26th — What to Expect After You File a Patent Application feat. Patent Trial and Appeal Board members

November 30th — Meet Dr. Schrag, Program Director for the National Science Foundation’s SBIR and STTR programs

2021 Events

January 27th — Should You Venture or License Your Idea? Feat. Dimitry Boss, founder of Twist-A-Core

February 24th — How to Create Revenue-Generating Inventions feat. Andy Barkin, professional product developer, and Terry O’Mara, Head of Coaching at inventRight

March 31st — How Marc Took Three Products to Market feat Marc Portney, serial entrepreneur and business advisor

April 14th — Become a Pitching Master and Get Interest Fast! Feat. Ed Gartin, former toy executive at Hasbro and successful toy inventor

May 26th — Learn the Right Way to Use LinkedIn and Overcome Your Fear of Pitching feat. Benjamin Harrison, creator of SmartPitch, and Justin Aquino, communications coach

June 19th — Do Patents Still Have Value for Independent Inventors? Feat. Andrei Iancu, former USPTO Director

July 28th — How to Break into the Pet Industry and Go Pro feat. Amanda Hutton, inventor and licensor of 50+ products

August 25th — How to Make a Virtual Prototype That Lands You a Licensing Deal feat. Courtney Laschkewitsch, IGA Managing Director and successful inventor

September 29th — Sell Sheet Lingo — How to Stand Out in a Sea of Sell Sheets feat. Courtney Laschkewitsch, IGA Managing Director and successful inventor

October 27th — How to Sell Your Product in Walmart feat. Angela Grayson, IP attorney and former Associate General Counsel, IP and Patent Operations lead at Walmart

November 24th — The Right Way to Approach Potential Licensees feat. Ryan Diez, inventRight Coach, and Benjamin Harrison, SmartPitch creator

December 8th — Don’t Let These Barriers Stop You From Inventing in 2022! Feat. Andrew Krauss, IGA cofounder, and Courtney Laschkewitsch, IGA Managing Director and successful inventor

2020 Events

January 29th – How to bring your product to life from idea to store shelves with Mike Van Horst and his product, Push and Hang.

February 12th – A Shark Tank Contestant talks about the Art of the Pitch, with Howie Busch and his company, DudeRobe.

March 4th – Prototyping Tips and Tricks Every Inventor Must Know, with Blake Hodgson and April Mitchell.

April 1st – How to develop and manufacture a successful product from ground up through venturing, with Jason Klug.

May 6th – Creating Concept Art and Sell Sheet Illustrations with Kenny Kiernan.

June 3rd – How to get celebrities to promote your product, with Sarah Shaw.

July 1st – You Don’t Need A Patent If… with Jake Ward.

August 5th – How to produce a product that has a WOW factor, with Lisa Lloyd.

September 2nd — How to Sell your Invention on Amazon, with Rick Kellow.

October 7th — Understanding Your Patent Rights in 2020, with PTAB Judge Janet Gongola, Vice Chief for Engagement, PTAB Judge Kal Deshpande, and Michelle Armond, Litigator and Patent Attorney.

November 4th — How to Design a Winning Sell Sheet, with Kenny Kiernan!

December 2nd — How to Build the Right Prototype, with Onega Ulanova!

2019 Events

March 6th — Presenting your ideas to potential licensees with CoFounders Andrew Krauss and Stephen Key.

May 1st — The latest DRTV insider secrets for submitting your product ideas with Carrie Jeske from Will it Launch.

May 29th — Building prototypes with Dr. Konstantin Dolgan from LA New Product Development Team.

June 12th — Manufacturing your product idea and selling it to retailers with Jim DeBetta.

July 10th — How to raise money to launch your business with Kedma Ough.

July 31st — Learn how to be a toy inventor. Mary Couzin founder of ChiTAG – North America‘s largest non-hobby toy and game fair open to the public.

August 14th — The Art & Science of Patent Searching — Learn about prior art searching with Paul Fatehi, Founder of Fintech IP and former Senior Patent Analyst.

September 4th — How to protect those ideas without spending a fortune with Patent Agent Tariq Najee-ullah.

October 2nd – How to market novelty products with inventor of World Famous Billy-Bob Teeth, Jonah White.

October 30th – Learn about the toy industry with inventor Ken Johnson, creator of the second best selling card game, Phase 10.

November 6th – How to get your ideas into companies without making dreaded cold calls with Benjamin Harrison.

December 4th – Learn what it takes to get on QVC and sell thousands with Rick Kellow and his product, The GreatPlate.

Past Webinar Recordings

Understanding Your Patent Rights in 2020!

What the Patent Trial & Appeal Board is, and why inventors should care.

Should You Venture of License Your Idea? Featuring Dimitry Boss

Have you ever tried licensing and venturing at the same time? Not sure if you should license or venture your product idea?

Learn how to create revenue generating inventions, with Andy Barkin & Terry O’Mara!

Learn how to create revenue generating inventions, with Andy Barkin & Terry O'Mara!

From Zero to Business: How Marc Portney took 3 Products to Market

In this special fireside chat, we talked with Marc about picking an idea and starting a business out of it. In this meeting, be ready for the ride of your life!

Become a Pitching Master and Get Interest Fast, with Ed Gartin and April Mitchell!

You’re pitching your ideas wrong! You won’t want to contact another company until you learn the shocking truth about why your pitch isn’t working.

Learn the right way to pitch using LinkedIn, and overcome your fear of pitching!

You're a product developer. And you've made your way to the point of pitching. But you freeze. How do you pitch? What methods? What scripts? Are you nervous? Learn how to overcome them and also pitch on LI!

What value do patents offer independent inventors today?

What can inventors do to strengthen their patent applications? None other than Andrei Iancu, the Director of the USPTO from 2017 until this January, will provide us with his answers to this all-important question.

Breaking into the Pet industry & how to go pro, with Amanda Hutton

Do you have many ideas you want to bring to market? Interested in going pro and working with multiple companies? You need to meet Amanda Hutton.

How to Make a Virtual Prototype that Lands you a Licensing Deal!

From learning about the different types of prototypes, to when you will need one, to if you should be the one to make it, to a live demonstration of how to virtually frankenstein, we'll dive into all of this and more!

Sell Sheet Lingo! How to stand out in a sea of sell sheets!

Inventors are constantly pitching their ideas to companies. How do you stand out with yours? Play some fun games, and learn about the power of sell sheet lingo!

How to Sell Your Product in Walmart!

So, how do you improve your chances of selling at Walmart? Do you need inventory? How important is intellectual property?

The Right Way to Approach Potential Licensees

The first step in building a relationship with a potential licensee today begins, most often, with a short message. But what do you say? It's time to find out!

Don’t Let These Barriers Stop You From Inventing in 2022!

Andrew & Courtney go head to head combating your barriers, so you can start fresh, without excuses, making progress towards your inventing goals!

Have a New Invention Idea, Now What?

Learn about the two main ways to bring your ideas to market from three industry veterans, who will describe the pros and cons of each.

Learn How to Become a Successful Toy Inventor!

Learn powerful & thought-provoking information on the toy industry from these three powerhouses!

How to Make Your Sell Sheet POP with Augmented Reality!

Learn how to create a 3D Model & AR version of your product, demonstrated live!

Ask Me Anything, with Stephen Key!

Learn about Stephen's journey, & how to be creative, in our first ever AMA.

Meet Keith Chapman, the Creator of PAW Patrol & Bob the Builder!

Learn how to design and license characters that produce multibillion-dollar empires!

Raising Inventors. Tips & Advice from Successful Young Entrepreneurs

Learn how these young entrepreneurs brought their ideas to market.
Download the presentation here.

Meet Kathi Vidal – The New Director of the USPTO

We discuss all of the tools provided by the USPTO and then welcome the New Director of the USPTO, Kathi Vidal.

Pitching Tips & Strategies that will up your chances of licensing success, with Courtney Laschkewitsch

Learn how to become a licensing pitching pro, fast!

What to Expect After You File a Patent Application

Our featured guests are Stacey White, Lead Administrative Patent Judge at the PTAB, and John Schneider, Administrative Patent Judge at the USPTO. They will describe the free legal assistance programs the USPTO has developed to help independent inventors throughout the patent prosecution process, including drafting an application and filing an appeal.

Funding For Early Stage Inventions

Listen to our featured guest Dr. Ben Schrag, SBIR/STTR Program Director and Policy Liaison at National Science Foundation discuss how to fund for early stage inventions.

Licensing & Manufacturing At The Same Time

Here we talk with successful entrepreneur Mohamed Ali from Egypt. Mohamed successfully launched an entire product line that he licensed and manufactured all at the same time. Watch to learn how.

Behind the Scenes with a Former Patent Examiner – Eric Blatt

Eric reviewed patent applications at the USPTO for 6 years. Today, he advises emerging companies on intellectual property and strategic transactions as a partner at Scale LLP.

Tom Czar President of MediaOne is looking for ideas!

Tom Czar President of MediaOne has represented some of the largest brands. For Martha Stewart, Dyson and Ring! Does your product have what it takes?

Catching Up With Director Vidal

We sit down and chat with USPTO Director Kathi Vidal.

Learn How to License Your Ideas

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss discuss the right way to submit ideas to the right companies.

DRTV Insider Secrets with Carrie Jeske

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Carrie Jeske of Will It Launch about submitting your product ideas to DRTV companies.

Designing & Building 3D Prototypes

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key & Andrew Krauss talk with Konstantin Dolgan, Ph.D., founder & CEO of Louisiana New Product Development. PLEASE NOTE: Speakers discuss prototypes that were shown on the live webinar. That video from the webinar was not recorded.

Preparing, Approaching & Selling To Retailers

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key & Andrew Krauss talk with Jim DeBetta, President of DeBetta Enterprises about preparing and selling your ideas to retailers.

How to Raise Money To Lauch Your Business

IGA CoFounder Stephen Key talks with Kendma Ough, MBA about raising money to launch your business ideas.

Mary Couzin – CHITag Conference Organizer

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with CHITag Conference Organizer Mary Couzin about toy inventing.

The Art & Science of Patent Searching

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Paul Fatehi, Founder of Findtech-IP about patent searching.

How to Protect Those Ideas Without Spending a Fortune

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Patent Agent Tariq Najee-Ullah about protecting your ideas with provisional patent applications and utility patent appplications.

Jonah White – Creator of Billy Bob Teeth

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Jonah White, creator of the hit novelty product Billy Bob Teeth about how to market novelty products.

Ken Johnson – Inventor of Phase 10

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Ken Johnson, inventor of the popular card game Phase 10. Ken discusses working with the toy industry.

Benjamin Harrison – SmartPitch

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Benjamin Harrison, creator of the SmartPitch program about getting product ideas into companies via LinkedIn.

Rick Kellow – Creator of Great Plate

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Rick Kellow, inventor of The Great Plate about making thousands on QVC.

Mike Van Horst – Creator of Push & Hang

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Mike Van Horst the creator of the Push & Hang system about how to license an idea.

Howie Busch – Creator of Dude Robe

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Howie Busch the creator of Dude Rob about the art of the pitch and being a contestant on Shark Tank.

Developing & Manufacturing A Success Product From The Ground Up Through Venturing

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Jason Klug, CEO & Founder of Klugonyx Group, LLC about developing your product for venturing.

Creating concept art and sell sheet illustrations with Kenny Kiernan

IGA CoFounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss talk with Kenny Kiernan, Illustrator, about creating concept art & sell sheet illustrations.

How to get celebrities to promote your product, with Sarah Shaw!

IGA talks with Sarah Show, CEO of Entreprenette & Celebrity Designer about how to get celebrities to promote your products.

Patently Good Ideas: You Don’t Need A Patent If… with Patent Attorney Jake Ward

IGA talks with Registered Patent Attorney Jake Ward about when you do and do not need a patent for your invention.

How to Produce a Product that has a WOW Factor with Lisa Lloyd!

IGA talks with prolific inventor Lisa Lloys about how to produce a product that has a WOW factor.

How to Sell Your Invention on Amazon, with Rick Kellow!

IGA talks with Rick Kellow, inventor of the Great Plate about How to Sell Your Invention on Amazon. The link Rick mentions is here.

How to Design A Winning Sell Sheet with Kenny Kiernan

IGA talks with Kenny Kiernan, Mojo Nation's Top 100 most influential figures in toy and game design about designing a winning sell sheet for your idea.

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How to Build the Right Prototype, with Onega Ulanova

Shot 2020-12-04 at 8.11.11 AM

IGA talks with Onega Ulanova about how to build the right prototype.