Context: Sauvegarder Investment Management (SIM) IP, founded by patent monetizer Erich Spangenberg (December 4, 2024 ip fray article), had a busy 2025, with a series of acquisitions, including buying a video patent portfolio from Finland’s Gurulogic Microsystems Oy (May 13, 2025 SIM IP press release), a portfolio of cloud computing, virtual networking and internet protocol address management patents from FusionLayer, Inc. (April 22, 2025 ip fray article), a haptics and extended reality (XR) patent portfolio worth hundreds of millions of dollars from Ultraleap (February 5, 2025 ip fray article), and Australian data exchange platform Qord IP’s patent portfolio, which included dozens of IoT assets (October 21, 2025 ip fray article). In April, it also struck a deal with U.S.-based Strong Force Innovation Portfolios, which will allow for the development, sale, and licensing of several of the latter’s European patents (April 24, 2025 ip fray article), and, in September, top-notch IP deakmaker Arvin Patel joined SIM IP as a managing director (September 16, 2025 ip fray article). Mr. Patel left Nokia a few months prior, “on an extremely positive note”.
What’s new: SIM IP and Tangibly, an AI-powered platform that provides trade secret management services, have launched a trade secret litigation financing partnership. The partnership seeks to empower companies to “protect and enforce their most valuable assets against theft and misappropriation”, the companies said today.
Direct impact and wider ramifications: The companies noted that the partnership seeks to address the “imbalance” that smaller innovators face in trade secret misappropriation due to AI risks, employee mobility, and global competition. They will be automating asset identification, evidence development, and case validation, which will dramatically reduce the time and cost required to prepare trade secret claims while improving quality and enforcement readiness. The collaboration builds on SIM IP’s recent strategic investment in Tangibly (November 15, 2025 Tangibly press release) and marks the first time they are expanding into trade secret litigation financing. The partnership will be a “one-stop shop” for IP defense, they noted, adding that they will also be hosting educational resources to help companies better understand trade secret rights and enforcement options.
In a statement today, Mr. Spangenberg said:
“We are thrilled to partner with Tangibly to transform trade secret enforcement from a reactive burden into a proactive advantage. For too long, IP theft has been a silent killer of innovation. This partnership ensures that companies have the capital and deep expertise to fight back, turning potential losses into recoverable value and deterring future violations.”
Under the terms of the partnership, SIM IP will provide litigation financing and strategic advisory services to qualified cases identified by Tangibly’s technology.
Tim Londergan, Co-Founder and CEO of Tangibly, also stated:
“Most companies are sitting on untapped trade secret claims without realizing it. Our AI tools demystify this process, allowing businesses to quickly evaluate their IP’s value and the strength of potential cases. Partnering with SIM IP expands our trade secret offering from management to enforcement, giving innovators a clear path to protect their intellectual property and business interests.”
Tangibly will deliver litigation intelligence and case validation using its proprietary AI-powered SaaS platform. By systematically identifying and evaluating trade secrets, Tangibly helps organizations assess claim strength, evidentiary readiness, and potential value, ensuring only high-quality cases advance to financing consideration.
