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This one’s personal. And it’s a good one.
After weeks of back-and-forth with a Fortune 500 company, the InspireIP team was invited for a face-to-face business proposal meeting in Atlanta.
To our surprise, we were one of the two chosen ones to potentially lead their IP journey. And our competition? None other than Anaqua — the legacy giant in IP management.
We were neck-and-neck until the final round. Our CEO, Sam Zellner, flew out to Atlanta himself to make our case in person.
Spoiler alert: We won!
We asked why.
“Your flow made sense. You were flexible where others were rigid. And honestly, the client didn’t need more complexity, just a system that works.”
So, it wasn’t because we were bigger. Or louder. Or backed by decades of legacy marketing.
But because we were faster. More collaborative. Because we could say “yes” to their must-have customizations without six layers of engineering calls. And, frankly, because our UI doesn’t need training just to begin.
And how did we even land this opportunity in the first place? We impressed the fractional counsel hired by that Fortune 500 company.
That same story has played out time and again.
Moments like this made us pause and reflect: why are so many fractional counsels and interim legal leads making InspireIP their go-to recommendation?
Because when you step into a company as a fractional counsel or interim IP chief, you’re not there to maintain the status quo.
You’re there to solve problems, fast.
And these companies rely on you to assess the mess, simplify the chaos, and leave behind a system that works.
That means every recommendation you make, especially when it comes to tools and platforms, reflects directly on your ability to deliver value.
So naturally, what you choose matters.
And since that choice has been InspireIP, we knew we had to share the story with you.
So why are interim legal leaders opting for InspireIP over legacy giants?
#1 Customization without the complexity
You’ve probably walked into companies where processes are duct-taped together across spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools.
Your job is to bring structure, but not break the system while doing it.
That’s where InspireIP delivers.
Its IP Assist solution adapts to your client’s reality, whether it’s a lean startup or a Fortune 500 subsidiary.
You don’t need to overhaul the entire org to get it working. You just plug it in, configure quickly, and get results.
“I didn’t want a complex system to manage. I needed something that my client could actually keep using after I left.”
— A Fractional Counsel who chose InspireIP over Anaqua for a mid-sized law firm client.
#2 A user experience you don’t have to explain
Your credibility relies on how fast your recommendations start showing value.
If the team hates the tool, you’ll hear about it. Or, they simply won’t use it.
InspireIP’s clean UI and logical flows make onboarding nearly frictionless. Every non-IP folk can navigate it confidently.
‘Cause trying to get engineers or product managers to fill out a 14-field invention disclosure form they don’t understand. Not happening.
With InspireIP, the form is customizable, but more importantly, it’s human.
One client shortened the process to a simple 3-question intake that the R&D team actually uses because they helped design it.
That’s a win not just for your client, but for you. Because when the tool works intuitively, you are the one responsible for it.
Another one of our users, a fractional legal advisor to a large law firm, chose IP Assist because, in her words:
“They didn’t need ‘advanced analytics’ or patent portfolio heatmaps. They just needed a damn good way to collect disclosures and track them. InspireIP let them do that, no fluff.”
That’s really it. InspireIP works because it doesn’t try to be everything.
It focuses on what actually moves the needle:
- Capturing ideas and disclosures easily
- Giving you a clean dashboard to track them
- Helping legal, R&D, and leadership stay on the same page
It’s not rocket science. It’s just smart.
#3 You can move fast without enterprise bloat
You don’t have 3 months to get going. You’re on a tight engagement timeline and expected to deliver results in 30–90 days.
And legacy tools often come with long sales cycles, extended implementation timelines, and endless configurations.
That doesn’t work for interim roles where timelines are tight and board expectations are even tighter.
One interim IP chief at a growing Fortune 500 company shared how InspireIP helped them launch a working disclosure intake system in under a week whereas the legacy platform they had scoped would’ve taken 3+ months and heavy IT intervention.
People don’t want bloated software anymore.
Legacy tools are packed with features no one uses. And, they need full-time admins just to keep them running.
When you’re only around for a few months and need to make a meaningful impact, you don’t have time for three-day training sessions or mile-long implementation guides.
You need something that clicks fast.
