Precision Investing

Exciting newcomers in highly specialized technology domains

The EconSight company scouting and de-risking approach

Our company scouting approach provides a comprehensive overview of all relevant companies in a specific technology sector, offering you a list of potential investment targets and eliminating the need for exhaustive research and guesswork. It is also a major de-risking approach that compares each investment with the next best options.

Next-generation AI-based patent analysis

The scouting concept is based on our new AI with customised LLM (large language models) that uses textual technology descriptions to identify all relevant patents from more than 140 million patent full texts and more than 3.5 million companies worldwide. The iterative process is fast, precise and always verifiable.

The precision investing approach

Technology concept

The technology or market environment is developed based on textual concepts that are defined together with the client. A full-text analysis of all patents worldwide (+140 mio) with our AI-based approach identifies all relevant patents for the concepts – fast, precise, and verifiable.

Identification of competitive environment

The relevance of the company is calculated as the similarity of their patents compared to the technology concept. The closer to the core, the higher the similarity. Companies are further categorized into segments based on their primary activities in terms of relevant technological applications. Specialist companies with a small but relevant portfolio are positioned separately.

Identification of target companies

Based on the classifications, technology specialization and detailed company profiles, a list of potential target companies can be identified. Criteria also include general company dynamics, activities, and innovation quality. The same approach can be applied to identify potential exit partners.

Fast and precise company scouting based on EconSight precision investing approach

With EconSight’s data-driven approach we get new insights and fast information on any company – a massive competitive advantage in venture and private equity.

Tim Jürgens,
Seedlink, early-stage VC, Barcelona

Showcase – Carbon-capturing microbes – competitive environment

Companies and universities with conceptually close patents to the technology definition. (Engineered organisms convert emissions into valuable products like biofuels, providing a promising approach to mitigating climate change)

How to read this chart

Identification of competitive environment

The chart shows the competitive environment in the technology based on technological similarity of patents. EconSight uses cutting-edge AI-based patent analysis to identify conceptually close patents to the technology definition. The relevance of the companies and universities shown is calculated as the similarity of their patents compared to the technology concept. The closer to the core, the higher the similarity. An identified patent is measured by the distance of its closest text element compared to the target concept. A patent owner is positioned according to its closest patent’s distance. The environment is further categorized into segments. A distinction is made between small and large companies on the basis of their total patent portfolios. The small and specialised companies can be identified, as well as their potential (exit) partners. Universities and research institutions are also separated.

Analysis

CO2 is one of the most available sources of carbon on earth, but utilising it to produce higher molecules is anything but simple. One route is the biological route, in which bacteria are used to produce polymers, solvents and fuels from CO2, usually in combination with H2. Others use algae and cyanobacteria (Accelergy). Some players, such as Pluton Biosciences, have mastered microbes of all kinds, including fungi and viruses, to produce small molecules or seeds. The most commonly used bacteria can be of natural origin (e.g. CO2Bioclean), yeast-based or genetically modified (e.g. Wanhua Chemical, Eppen Europe/EnobraQ), and many different pathways, reactor designs and process steps are being investigated. The search revealed a great lack of major players in this field. Of the few that were found, Wanhua Chemical with its recent activities, Syngenta with its acquisition of Valagro Biologicals and finally Siemens Energy’s older patents, which apparently form the basis for the Rheticus II reactor together with Evonik. The small player sector, on the other hand, is flourishing with several small players targeting different product lines and process routes. The same applies to academic research, which is quite prominent and dynamic. The field seems to be close to maturity, but has not yet been realised on a large scale.

Background – what do we do new, different and better?

600+ curated technologies

A technology taxonomy consisting of 600+ curated cutting-edge technologies, defined from a market perspective and not from a purely technical perspective.

Next generation AI-based patent analysis

We use AI where it makes sense and leads to better results. Intelligently linked with our technologies and based on more than 20 years of expert knowledge: innovation evaluation and scoring, grant predictors, enhanced patent searches, and risk analysis.

Precise indicators

EconSight indicators are designed to get the best possible information out of patents: World Class Patents, Company Innovation Score, EconSight Patent Score, Global Tech Share, Specialisation Degree, Enabling Technology Environment, and time series data from 1990 to 2025

Business relevant patent scores

EconSight developed a technology-specific patent score that focusses on business relevancy in patent citations and “critical mass” country coverage, and specifically takes younger patents into account with AI-based grant and citation predictions.