
DeepIP Raises $15M to Streamline Patent Drafting with AI Assistant Embedded in Microsoft Word
Will AI Rewrite the Patent Game? Inside DeepIP’s $15M Bet on Legal Tech Disruption
What Happens When You Inject AI Into a $100K, 30-Year-Old Process?
In the world of intellectual property, not much has changed in decades. Patents still take years, cost tens of thousands of dollars, and rely on manual drafting processes riddled with legalese and inefficiencies. But now, a French-American startup called DeepIP is betting big on transforming that legacy system.
With $15 million in Series A funding, led by AI-focused VC Resonance and joined by Headline, Serena Capital, and Balderton, DeepIP is on a mission to modernize how patents are created—starting with a seamless, AI-powered assistant that lives where attorneys already work: Microsoft Word.
Breaking Down the $15M Move: What DeepIP Actually Does
Founded in 2024 with dual headquarters in New York and Paris, DeepIP offers an AI assistant tailored for patent professionals. It's not trying to replace lawyers—it’s helping them do better work, faster.
Here’s what sets DeepIP apart:
- Embedded in Microsoft Word: Attorneys don't need to learn new tools. The assistant works inside the familiar interface they already trust.
- Productivity Gains: Patent drafters report up to a 50% reduction in drafting time. That’s a potential cost saving of tens of thousands of dollars per application.
- Smart Assistance: The AI summarizes dense documents, highlights novel invention elements, restructures claims, and suggests improvements based on prior applications.
- Security First: Fully GDPR-compliant, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications—and a strict Zero Data Retention policy.
- Real Usage, Real Revenue: The platform has helped draft over 8,500 patent applications, and hit seven figures in ARR within 7 months—a rare feat in legal tech.
The Market DeepIP Is Targeting Is Huge—And Broken
Why Legal Tech Is the Next AI Frontier
Patent filing is one of the last untouched frontiers in the AI revolution. The traditional process is:
- Expensive: $20K to $100K per application
- Slow: Multi-year backlogs
- Manual: High risk of human error and inconsistency
Now add this: The global patent application market is growing 4.4% annually, with over 3.5 million applications filed each year.
Legal tech as a whole is undergoing a major shift. Adjacent sectors like contract review have attracted hundreds of millions in VC dollars (see: Harvey AI). Automated patent drafting is expected to grow at 13–14% CAGR, fueled by law firms’ growing demand for faster, cheaper, and more accurate processes.
Why DeepIP Is Positioned to Win
DeepIP is taking a smart path—augment, not disrupt. By supporting patent attorneys rather than trying to replace them, the company is addressing one of the biggest friction points in legal AI: cultural resistance.
Its platform adapts to individual drafting styles, iterates based on firm feedback, and stays fully integrated into legal workflows. According to Resonance partner Maxime Le Dantec, what impressed investors was the combination of product traction and speed of execution: DeepIP became a 7-figure revenue company in under a year.
Incumbents, Beware: DeepIP’s Competitive Edge Is Not Just Hype
Who's Already in the Game
- ClaimMaster, Rowan Patents, PatentPal: Longtime players offering drafting tools—some also integrated with Word.
- PowerPatent, Specifio: Focus on automation with human review, but may lack cutting-edge generative AI.
- LexisNexis: A legal tech giant, but slow-moving and often tied down by legacy systems.
Why DeepIP Stands Out
- Agility: Unlike incumbents, DeepIP is shipping updates fast, leveraging the latest in generative AI.
- Security: Most startups can't match DeepIP's compliance stack, which is critical for high-stakes IP work.
- User-Centric Design: Instead of building a new platform, DeepIP went where users already are—inside Microsoft Word.
DeepIP isn’t just building a feature—it’s aiming to become the operating layer for how patents are written and filed in the AI era.
The Obstacles Ahead: What Could Slow DeepIP Down
Cultural and Institutional Headwinds
- Risk Aversion: Patent law is conservative. Convincing attorneys to trust AI—even with high accuracy—takes time.
- Proof of Reliability: In IP, a single drafting error could sink a case. DeepIP must continually prove that its outputs are legally defensible.
Competitive and Strategic Risks
- Fast-Followers: Incumbents may invest heavily in AI or acquire smaller players to keep pace.
- In-House Tools: Big law firms might build their own AI platforms, reducing reliance on third-party providers.
- Regulatory Complexity: Expanding into new jurisdictions means navigating different patent laws, which may require retraining the models for local compliance.
Still, if DeepIP continues to iterate fast and retain user trust, these risks are manageable—and even expected for a company in scale-up mode.
Beyond Patents: The Bigger Game at Play
Why Investors Are Betting on a Broader Legal Tech Ecosystem
Patent automation may just be the start. DeepIP is building the infrastructure—and trust—that could allow it to expand into:
- Litigation support
- IP portfolio analytics
- Smart prosecution strategies
- Real-time collaboration between inventors and legal teams
By positioning itself as an intelligent assistant rather than a replacement engine, DeepIP could eventually become a cornerstone of how legal teams operate, similar to what GitHub Copilot is for developers.
And with AI shifting from productivity tools to autonomous agents, investors see DeepIP as a potential early leader in this broader evolution.
Is DeepIP Building the Legal Copilot of the Future?
DeepIP isn’t just fixing a broken process—it’s redefining what’s possible in legal work. With strong early traction, seamless workflow integration, and bulletproof security, it has all the makings of a category-defining player.
For law firms, it could reshape workflows and free up time for higher-value legal strategy.
For corporations, it could lower the cost and barrier to protecting innovation.
For investors, it’s a chance to ride the wave of legal AI before it goes mainstream.
As patent offices around the world brace for AI-assisted filings and as legal workflows evolve, the real question is no longer if AI will transform legal work—but who will lead the charge.