Securing Your Business

In today‘s fast-paced world, start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs often find
themselves navigating turbulent waters. These “speedboat” businesses,
characterised by agility, innovation and limited resources, face unique
challenges in securing their business models with adequate IP  strategies.
An Cosaert’s new book is a groundbreaking guide that equips those
small companies with cost-effective tools to turn innovative ideas into
scalable businesses, ready to thrive in a competitive landscape.

· A forward-thinking approach to IP instead of a traditional, defensive
one;
· Practical, cost-effective tools tailored to start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs;
· A shift in mindset—from merely defending to strategically securing
intellectual assets—that positions businesses for sustainable growth
from the start.

As an essential resource for entrepreneurs looking to transform ideas
into thriving, future-proof enterprises, the book demystifies IP management, making sophisticated strategies accessible and affordable for everyone. Ultimately, it provides vital advice for speedboat businesses to navigate the challenges of growth and maintain competitiveness in their markets.

Throughout her career, An Cosaert has worked at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property. Fascinated by technology and the way new ideas can transform industries, she first set out to pursue a degree in industrial engineering electromechanics. Thus equipped with a strong analytical mindset and a broad technical foundation, she started her professional journey at KU Leuven, where she conducted research on textile composites.
Switching the academic world for R&D at various international corporates, she gained hands-on experience in material applications and learned how technology translates into real-world industrial solutions. This environment allowed her to refine her ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear and accessible knowledge.
In 2007, she took a pivotal step in her career by becoming an innovation consultant and expert, first at the West Flanders Innovation Centre and later on at Antwerp Management School. Here, she discovered her passion for guiding start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs through their innovation processes. She gained deep insights into the strategic importance of IP and developed methods to make IP more accessible and actionable for entrepreneurs (in the making), thus bridging the gap between innovative ideas and scalable business models.
Since 2018, she is teaching Intellectual Property Strategy at Antwerp Management School (Master programme Sustainable Innovation & Entrepreneurship).
In 2019, she started her own consultancy agency Inquirendi (Latin for “on a discovery”) bringing together innovation, entrepreneurship, and IP. Since then, she has been helping companies futureproof their innovation and IP strategies and support them in building scalable, sustainable, technology-driven businesses.
Recently, she expanded her ventures with Scalendi (Latin for “scaling”), an agency that focuses on developing IP strategies that support the scaling or growth of companies, through business model
alignment and IP due diligence preparation. 
It is not only her mission, but also her passion to make intellectual property both achievable and strategically valuable for businesses navigating an ever-evolving world.

"In the dynamic world of start-ups and scale-ups, intellectual property is often overlooked until it's too late. This book offers a refreshingly pragmatic and accessible guide to integrating IP into the strategic roadmap of growing ventures. What makes it particularly valuable is its direct relevance to founders and early-stage teams navigating the scale-up journey, investor conversations, and due diligence processes. By demystifying IP and anchoring it within the broader startup ecosystem—including funding, and acquisition readiness—it provides a critical toolset that too few early-stage entrepreneurs fully leverage. A must-read for anyone serious about building a secure and scalable business."
Omar Mohout—Scaleup Director, Deloitte

"This book fills an important gap in the entrepreneurship literature. While innovation, business modelling, and IP rights in themselves are widely covered, there are few books connecting the dots between entrepreneurship, sustainable innovation, and intellectual property as clearly and practically as this guide does. I encourage students, entrepreneurs or managers to think early about their IP strategy—not just as a legal necessity, but as a tool for growth, value creation, and differentiation. This book is an excellent companion for that process: hands-on, easy to follow, and deeply relevant to the challenges early-stage innovators face."
Robin De Cock, PhD
Antwerp Management School
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
Academic director of the Master in Sustainable Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Co-founder of Antwerp Centre for Entrepreneurship Research

“I know An Cosaert as a highly driven, intelligent, and strategically sharp professional who not only understands the complex world of IP but also succeeds in conveying it in a particularly accessible and practice-oriented way. What makes this book so powerful is that An brings her wealth of experience with start-ups, scale-ups, and corporate venturing to life through clear examples and concrete methods that entrepreneurs can apply immediately. Her cases and practical tools show that IP is far more than just legal protection; it is a strategic instrument that provides direction, keeps your company agile, and unlocks growth opportunities. From my own career–spanning corporate innovations to mentoring young companies at Hangar K and iStart—I fully recognise how crucial this perspective is. That’s why this book is a definite must-read for anyone looking to embed innovation in a sustainable and future-proof way.”
Guy Van Wijmeersch
Founder White Space Strategic Design
Innovation Manager BOPLAN

“This book is an invaluable, down-to-earth guide for ambitious entrepreneurs. It opened my eyes to seeing intellectual property not as a dry legal box-ticking exercise, but as a powerful, strategic driver for growth. It made me realise that I don’t need to protect everything—only what truly matters, but then do it properly and with foresight. Like our products, our IP strategy needs to grow and adapt over time. What really resonated with me is how clearly this book shows that true collaboration and sustainable scaling are only possible with a smart, integrated IP approach. I’d highly recommend it to any entrepreneur who wants to secure their innovation and unlock its full value for the future.”
Johan Bonner—Co-founder Material Mastery