Intellectual property (IP) is a prerequisite for companies for identification, planning, commercialization, and protection of the invention. It is also an important tool to protect investment, time, and effort and encourages healthy competition. It promotes industrial development and economic growth and provides incentives to companies to invest in research and development.

Dr. Poonam Raghuvanshi, who has worked for years in Pharmaceutical Research and Development, was aware of the importance of the right IP strategy and therefore founded her own IP firm known as ipEssentia Intellectual Property Firm (ipEssentia)in the year 2020.

IpEssentia is an Intellectual Property firm empowered by 50+ years of combined global pharma experience from in-depth pharma industry knowledge to building & leading the in-house Intellectual Property functions of multinational companies. ipEssentia is committed to delivering highquality, efficient, and best-fit IP solutions for Pharma & Life Sciences companies. The firm provides complete IP Lifecycle services ranging from IP landscape, Freedom to operate analysis, invalidity analysis, IP Creation, IP Prosecution, to IP Monetization, IP Litigation support, and IP Management.

Dr. Poonam Raghuvanshi recently engaged in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, here’s the highlight from the same.

Take Us Through Your Educational And Prior Industry Experience Along With Your Expertise In The Field Of Research & Development And Intellectual Property (IP) In The Pharmaceutical Industry.

Before moving into the field of Intellectual Property, for several years I worked on various R&D aspects such as product development, analysis, characterization, and clinical testing at the Dabur Research Foundation & International Centre for Genetic engineering &biotechnology. In the last 22 years of my IP career (Ranbaxy &Dr. Reddy’s), I worked from API, complex generics, IP analysis of complex generics & complex APIs, Technology Strategy Landscaping, Strategic Decision making, risk assessment & mitigation plan, Patent fencing to building and leading IP teams.

Tell Us About The Foundation Journey Of Ipessentia And The Underlying Idea Behind Establishing The Firm?
Over the years, we observed that there is a dearth of firms that understand the technical as well as the IP & legal complexities combined. Also, the small and mid-sized companies face the challenge of using IP to support the current and future market position of the business. To overcome these challenges, ipEssentia is created to lead the change in Intellectual Property services by providing global IP support with a deep technical understanding of the working & decision- making of the Pharma /Biotech industry.

Tell Us About The Roles And Responsibilities You Shoulder Including The Challenges You Face As A Founder And How Do You Overcome Those Challenges?
Whenever you start a new venture, you need a set of talented and dedicated people in the core team who share the same vision as yours because there is no defined role for one particular individual. My focus has always been on relationship building and providing quality work to clients by understanding their needs and requirements.

What Has Been Your Most Remarkable Achievement So Far And What Is The Driving Force Behind Your Success As A Business Leader?
We have built a strong bond with our clients, who value our advice, given that we started recently, it is one of the most significant milestones we have achieved. The decades of hands-on experience in handling complex IP matters for the global market for Life Sciences/Pharma industry is the driving force behind our success. We feel that we have an opportunity to create something meaningful and that we are contributing to the health of people at large. This gives us a sense of purpose and achievement.

How Do You Foresee The Indian IP Industry Evolving And How Is IPESSENTIA Going To Grow In Near Future?
The emergence of new technologies may have a radical impact on the existing IP landscape and Artificial Intelligence & Life Sciences are the two major areas of technological and scientific development that will raise important challenges for IP. As far as IPESSENTIA’s growth is concerned, it will continue to lead change in Intellectual Property services and enable businesses to enhance their business performance by providing innovative intellectual property solutions & services to unleash their intellectual property potential. With our USP of understanding the core of the issue and providing the right advice to help facilitate the product development & faster decision making, I am sure we will be able to achieve our goals at a very fast pace.

What Advice You Would Give To Young Women And Girls Who Also Aspire To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs?

The advice I would like to give is that there is no substitute for knowledge & experience, therefore keep gaining the knowledge and the only source of knowledge is experience.

Also, to be successful in any domain of life, one has to believe in herself, learn, practice, build a support network and follow a path one is eager and happy to take responsibility for.

Dr. Poonam Raghuvanshi, Founder, Ipessentia

Before Moving To The Intellectual Property Domain, Dr. Poonam Raghuvanshi Worked For Seven Years In Research And Development And Has Worked On Various Aspects Of Research And Product Development.

Quick Facts:
• Educational Qualification: M. Pharm, Ph.D.
• Headquarter & Other Office Locations: Hyderabad, Delhi & Mumbai.
• Awards of Recognition: ipEssentia is recognized among the “10 Most Promising Patent and Trademark Law Service Providers in India 2021”. Recognized as “WIPF Powerful Women in IP - INDIA 2021” by World intellectual property forum
• A business leader you admire: Mr. Ratan Tata
• My Mantra: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. –Confucius
• Work for me: I go to work every day knowing that I am where I belong and that I am helping businesses/innovators make the most of their product portfolio & innovation so that it can benefit more & more people/patients and society out there.