They left McKinsey to help businesses fight patent violations. See the pitch deck they used to raise $10 million.

Former McKinsey consultants Oskar Block and Oscar Adamsson have embarked on an innovative journey to assist businesses in combating patent infringements. Their startup, Stilta, leverages artificial intelligence to streamline the identification and management of patent violations. Founded in January 2023, Stilta quickly garnered attention, successfully raising $10.5 million in seed funding, primarily from Andreessen Horowitz, with additional backing from Y Combinator and employees from leading AI firms such as OpenAI and Legora. Block left McKinsey with a vision—recognizing that the realm of intellectual property, historically reliant on tedious manual processes, was primed for a technological overhaul. He and Adamsson joined forces with fellow McKinsey alumni, including Tobias Estreen, a lead data scientist at QuantumBlack, and data engineer Petrus Werner. Together, they set out to redefine how companies manage their patent portfolios, which often remain underutilized. Stilta's platform transforms patent analysis into a structured process, allowing legal professionals to define objectives—whether to identify infringing patents, defend against litigation, or evaluate a patent portfolio. The software employs a series of agents to search through patents, academic publications, and various online resources for relevant evidence. The collected evidence is then mapped to specific claims within the patents, providing a comprehensive view of the situation at hand. Currently, around 60% of Stilta's revenue stems from law firms, while the remaining 40% comes from corporate legal departments, including major clients like Roche and the logistics giant Maersk. Block emphasizes that Stilta's technology can help internal legal teams manage costs effectively by keeping more patent-related work in-house rather than outsourcing it. As the legal tech landscape evolves, patent management has become a focal point for innovation. Stilta faces competition from other emerging companies like Patlytics and DeepIP, which are also developing comprehensive tools for managing the patent lifecycle. With Andreessen Horowitz recognizing the potential for disruption in this sector, the future looks promising for startups like Stilta. Block noted that the fundraising process was swift, with numerous meetings held with Andreessen Horowitz over a short period. "We were selective about our investors and chose a16z for the strategic fit, leading us to decline other offers," he explained. Stilta's pitch deck has been shared exclusively with Business Insider, showcasing their vision for a more efficient patent management process.