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World IP Day 2026 — Recognized Innovator

Steve Conboy

  • Founder & Chief Technologist
  • Mighty Fire Breaker LLC (M-Fire Suppression)

Recognized for founder-led innovation in wildfire defense and fire-retardant chemistry.

Steve Conboy’s work helped shape Mighty Fire Breaker’s patented CitroTech platform, used across construction fire protection, home hardening, and wildfire defense systems.

Certificate of Recognition

Top IP Innovator — Wildfire Defense & Fire-Retardant Chemistry · 2026

Mighty Fire Breaker Patents (last 5 years)
0
First Filing
2010
USPTO Art Unit Focus
1767 / 3752
Role
Founder & Chief Technologist
Presented by InspireIP

World IP Day Recognition Series · 2026

Mighty Fire Breaker patents, last 5 years
0
Filed in 2024 alone
0
Recognition category
0 Chemical & Materials
The Recognition

The first non-toxic chemistry that the EPA certified to stop fire

On World IP Day 2026, InspireIP recognizes Steve Conboy, founder of Mighty Fire Breaker, for inventing and patenting the first EPA Safer Choice-certified fire-retardant chemistry and building the patent portfolio that protects it.

The recognition is based on Mighty Fire Breaker’s patent activity and Steve’s role as the named inventor behind the company’s core technology.

His patents cover CitroTech fire-retardant chemistry, treated mulch for wildfire defense, application equipment, and remotely activated spray systems for homes and properties.

Steve came to fire protection after decades in building, lumber, and construction technology. That background shaped his focus on fire-retardant systems designed for wood-frame construction, vegetation, homes, and high-risk wildfire zones.

His recognitions include the EPA Partner of the Year 2023, the Edison Award (Chicago), and assignment to the District Export Council of the U.S. Department of Trade and Commerce. He has spoken twice at the United Nations and World Trade Conference on carbon sequestration, written a Carbon Tax Credit Bill for fire-treated lumber, and drafted a Wildfire Defense Act.

Non-Toxic Fire Retardants
Wildfire Defense Systems
Wood-Frame Construction Protection
EPA Safer Choice Chemistry
CitroTech Free-Radical Chemistry
Home Hardening
Patent Footprint

A portfolio shaped around stopping fire before it starts

2010–2016

Steve Conboy, drawing on 45 years in wood-frame construction and lumber, identifies the need for a non-toxic binding chemistry that keeps fire-retardant adhered to wood and vegetation. After extensive lab testing, the core CitroTech chemistry is established and the first patents filed. M-Fire Suppression is founded in 2016 to commercialize the technology for wood-frame construction.

2017–2020

Mighty Fire Breaker LLC is established to extend the technology into wildfire defense. The company's CitroTech chemistry pursues EPA Safer Choice certification and earns UL GREENGUARD Gold certification for low chemical emissions. M-Fire Suppression begins protecting high-density wood-frame construction projects across the United States. The company files patents for wildfire protective mulch and roadway corridor defense systems in 2020.

2021–2023

15 patents across three years, peaking at 11 filings in 2023. CitroTech earns EPA Safer Choice certification and Steve is named EPA Partner of the Year 2023. Mighty Fire Breaker opens the Wildfire Depot in Rohnert Park, California, as a showroom and training center, and is endorsed by Fire Chiefs and Fire Marshals across the U.S. as a non-toxic alternative to AFFF firefighting foam.

2024–2025

13 more patents filed in 2024 alone. Mighty Fire Breaker partners with WOWS Insurance to integrate patented fire-retardant chemistry with performance-based wildfire insurance, addressing the more than 3 million California homes affected by wildfire risk. The San Diego Fire Department adopts MFB-31-CitroTech for active use.

Wildfire Defense & Fire-Retardant Chemistry

A small-entity company filing like a much larger one

Mighty Fire Breaker is classified by the USPTO as a Small Entity, yet its five-year filing volume sits well above what is typical for fire-retardant chemistry companies of its size. Much of that activity is concentrated in the chemical, materials, and mechanical art units that protect fire-retardant compositions, application equipment, and wildfire defense systems.

Patents, last 5 years
Peak year (2024)
Filings
USPTO entity status
Small Entity
Art unit focus
1767 / 3752
"Leading an innovation program is harder than inventing on your own. It means choosing what to file, who to credit, and where to invest, over and over, for years. The leaders we recognize on World IP Day have done that consistently, and built something that compounds."

Sam Zellner

Founder, InspireIP · Inventor · Innovation Leader

About Mighty Fire Breaker

Built in California, defending construction sites and wildfire zones nationwide

Founded in 2016 (M-Fire Suppression Inc.) and headquartered in Torrance, California with operations in Rohnert Park and Ohio, the company develops non-toxic fire-retardant chemistry and application systems for both construction-phase fire protection and wildfire defense.

The company’s flagship product, MFB-31-CitroTech, is the only EPA Safer Choice-certified fire-retardant chemistry in the world. It carries UL GREENGUARD Gold, NSF, and California Title 22 CCR non-toxic certifications, and passes the ASTM E84 Extended Burn Test. 

Through its M-Fire Suppression division, the company protects high-density wood-frame construction during the framing stage. Through the Mighty Fire Breaker division, it provides home hardening, vineyard, and wildfire roadway defense systems.

The company’s patent activity supports its work across fire-retardant compositions, treated materials, spray systems, and application equipment.

IP Day 2027

Know an IP innovator who deserves recognition?

Each year we recognize the inventors and IP leaders behind the portfolios that protect what their companies create. That includes founder-inventors whose contributions often go unmarked. Nominate someone for next year’s list.

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