We celebrate women who build. Ownership gets far less attention.
I've heard versions of this story for years.
A woman and her co-founder build a company together. The idea. The product. The late nights.
The patent application arrives, and only his name goes on it.
The reason is usually the same.
She has already done the math. Investors, customers, partners. His name feels easier. Safer. More credible.
She isn't imagining the bias. She's responding to it.
In FY2015, women filed just 15 patents in India. The decision made sense inside the world she was operating in.
Then ownership enters the conversation. Questions appear about rights, control, and economic value.
I've met women who spent years trying to establish co-ownership after the fact. Most couldn't.
They don't sound angry when they tell the story. They sound tired.
A missing name on a patent can mean a missing claim on future wealth.
The numbers look different today.
In FY2024, women filed more than 5,183 patents in India.
More women are treating intellectual property the way investors do: as an asset worth protecting.
The conversations have changed too.
More women are asking about ownership, licensing, equity, trademarks, and patents much earlier.
IP creates ownership. Ownership creates options. And options create wealth.
More women are making sure their names stay attached to what they build.
What changes have you noticed in how women are protecting their work, ideas, and assets?