You’ve done your homework, you want full control, and you are committed to taking your invention forward.
With our inventing services, the financial investment is your responsibility. and you maintain 100% control of everything from product development to commercialization.
Licensing is the easiest path to profit: get paid while others turn your idea into a product and manage the day-to-day grind.
With licensing, someone else is the invests in your idea and maintains control. Our Brutally Honest Review is a smart and honest way to start your licensing journey.
Our extensive library of invention resources has been developed over more than 20 years to help inventors make great decisions.
Browse our Resource Library for Inventors and build your knowledge about everything from NDA's & confidentiality agreements to patents, licensing, manufacturing and more.
Products created and commercialized by Invention City and its partners have generated over $500,000,000 in retail sales and tens of millions in royalty income. We are actively looking to license new inventions in all categories and all stages of development. When we say "yes" we offer to do it all and pay for everything so that you risk nothing more - we take responsibility for patents, prototypes, engineering, design and marketing, to turn your new invention idea into a manufactured product with a real opportunity for market success. The first step to working with us is our Brutally Honest Review. Click to see the video and read our fine print in bold.
Starting as garage inventors we've had over 25 years of experience creating, developing, licensing and selling inventions to Fortune 100 corporations and start-up companies. This gives us deep first hand knowledge of prior art research, market evaluation, building prototypes, engineering for manufacturing, industrial design, writing and filing US and international patents and trademarks, defending patents and trademarks in the US and internationally, negotiating licensing agreements, managing licensing relationships, sourcing and managing manufacturing and fulfillment, marketing via traditional distribution to mass merchants, chains, individual retailers, direct marketing via DRTV, internet and crowd funding, forming strategic partnerships and launching and selling start-up companies. We don't know of anyone in our industry who's had our breadth and depth of experience. We've enjoyed a lot of success and have learned from failures too. Learn more about us here.
Over the years we've heard from inventors who've wasted thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars pursuing their dreams and failing. Invention City's mission is to help inventors keep money in their pockets, increase their chances of success and commercialize great new product ideas through licensing and partnership deals. The Invention City team is comprised of successful inventors and entrepreneurs who've made their money by bringing new patented products to market. We want to make money with you, not from you. Read about us here .
Lies don't fly.
Choosing Invention City
The difference between Invention City and other invention companies is the success, depth and unique experiences of the Invention City team along with a business model that's structured to profit with inventors rather than from them. Invention City grew out of WorkTools, Inc., (read about WorkTools here.) We come at this business having been bona fide garage inventors and that's where our hearts remain. These links explain:
We believe that inventors should do as much as they can on their own and then, when informed and ready, seek help and advice from providers who genuinely care. Our Brutally Honest Review is a great way to get professional feedback and a real chance for success. A visit to the info booth is a good way to get started. Be careful about disclosing proprietary and confidential information to anyone. We hope that your visit is productive. Please visit us often and let us know how we can make things better.
Invention City provides inventors and new product idea developers with information, resources and help for each stage of the inventing process. Use the links above to learn how to:
As 2026 begins, inventors are facing a shift that's easy to underestimate. AI isn't just improving tools or speeding up workflows. It's collapsing innovation timelines. Changes that once unfolded over generations or decades are now happening in a matter of years, sometimes months. For inventors, this creates both urgency and opportunity. Assumptions that were safe even two years ago (about markets, labor, costs, and customer behavior) are increasingly unreliable. Entire product categories are being reshaped not by new materials or manufacturing breakthroughs, but by intelligence embedded everywhere. At Invention City, where we evaluate invention concepts across a wide range of ...
Break down the journey into stages. “I have this idea, and I can explain exactly what it should do, but I have no clue how to actually build it. Where do I even start with something complex?” If you have found yourself asking this question, you are not alone. You can picture your invention perfectly in your mind. You know the problem it solves. You might even be able to sketch a rough concept. But when it comes to the technology, the mechanics, and how all the pieces actually fit together, that is where things get fuzzy. Here is the ...
AI is a great tool for invention development. But... AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Grok have become powerful tools for inventors. Used well, they can accelerate research, improve disclosures, and reduce early costs significantly. But inventions are sensitive assets, and the patent process is fundamentally about managing risk and uncertainty, not eliminating them. To use AI effectively without creating avoidable IP problems, here are four things every inventor should understand. Quick disclaimer: I've helped inventors navigate the patent process for over 25 years, but I'm not a patent attorney. Nothing in the patent process comes with ...
Dandelion™ Doll by Kelly Drumgoole Some inventions begin as loose ideas, waiting to be shaped. Others arrive with a sense of clarity that guides every decision from the start. When Kelly Drumgoole came to Invention City in November 2023, she already possessed a strong, thoughtful vision for what would become Dandelion™ Doll. She wasn’t searching for direction—she was looking for the right support to bring her idea into the world with care. As Kelly describes it: “A tender & whimsical reimagining of the voodoo doll, created not for harm but for healing. Inspired by the childhood ritual of blowing on ...
Pursuing a licensee is rarely a straight line. Here's how to stay on someone's radar without becoming a burden. Whether you're following up on an initial expression of interest, reaching out cold, or trying to revive a conversation that has gone quiet, the same challenge appears again and again: You need to stay on someone's radar without becoming a burden. Most inventors underestimate how difficult that balance is - and how long it can take. In licensing, email remains the primary mode of communication. You may supplement with an occasional phone call, a LinkedIn message, or (in rare cases) a ...
