A guide to the types of intellectual property and how startups can best manage intellectual property in the early stages of the company. Startups face a variety of risks. The biggest risk is market risk, and entrepreneurs should be spending most of their time addressing the market risks - not learning law. The Startup Guide to Intellectual Property helps startups grow by showing how intellectual property is used to build and keep a sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, The Startup Guide to Intellectual Property discusses the cost - benefit trade-offs when trying to capture a company's intellectual property and provides guidance on how to make those decisions. It includes a practical description of the types and uses of intellectual property and presents workable options for protecting that intellectual property early.