Frequently Asked Product Development Questions

Certainly! This has been our guiding principle for over 15 years. Our mission is to streamline the product development process, enabling individuals from diverse backgrounds to transform their ideas into successful businesses. We manage the intricate details behind the scenes, allowing you to concentrate on bringing your product to market with our expert guidance. Please reach out to learn more about our remarkable developments over the years that support inventors and startups.

We encourage you to contact us for a complimentary consultation as soon as possible. If you have an idea, taking action is crucial—procrastination is your worst enemy. Regardless of whether you decide to engage our services, we are always ready to discuss your aspirations and offer practical advice. Even if we believe your idea may not be feasible, we are committed to providing assistance to anyone dedicated to bringing innovative solutions to market.

The advantage of our business model lies in our ability to provide comprehensive development services in-house, including research, design, prototyping, patenting, and sales/distribution. This approach significantly streamlines the development process, allowing startups to access world-class design at an affordable price. Over the years, we have developed a unique design philosophy called "Brilliantly Simple Design," which ensures we focus solely on what you need to succeed, eliminating unnecessary elements while maintaining a clean and modern aesthetic. You can view examples of our work on the 'Our Work' page.

We manufacture in North America, Europe, and Asia, often employing a combination of locations based on each product's specific needs. We will create a detailed strategy to determine the most suitable production avenue. Whenever feasible, we prefer to keep manufacturing local, as modern efficiencies often make local production a cost-effective option.

Yes, we collaborate with reputable and cost-effective third-party patent agents and patent attorneys. Our long-standing relationships enable us to secure better pricing for our clients, and we can recommend professionals who specialize in various product types. We prioritize protecting your intellectual property to enhance your market success. MAKO ensures that your business strategy, design, and patent strategy are aligned to provide a comprehensive approach.

MAKO works with experienced third-party patent agents and attorneys to protect our clients’ intellectual property. Most clients file for a patent after they have made substantial progress in product development, typically following the completion of the prototype. Filing a patent prematurely can necessitate a second filing if any changes occur during development, which could even invalidate the initial patent. Therefore, many clients choose to file at the end of the development process to maximize the duration of their intellectual property protection. In the interim, you can safeguard discussions with our team by signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, ensuring confidentiality.

Unfortunately, some organizations aim to exploit inventors. To help you avoid becoming a victim, consider these three steps:

1. Be cautious of any organization that prominently features 'royalties' or 'licensing' in their marketing materials.
2. If they propose royalty agreements or licensing deals, inquire about their success rate. They may deflect the question or reveal a low success rate, typically below 10%.
3. If they pass the first two criteria, ask about the industrial design software they utilize. Reputable firms employ established engineering software such as AutoDesk, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, Rhino, or PTC Creo. If they rely on low-end gaming software for design, it is advisable to withdraw your interest.

We are passionate about supporting home inventors, and our rationale is straightforward. While many development firms pursue large corporations for profit, we chose to cater to the needs of home inventors with limited budgets. Our aim was to simplify the product development process, enabling us to offer high-quality services at a fraction of the cost. This approach has proven successful, as home inventors often invest significant thought into their ideas and genuinely care about their projects. By recognizing and addressing this untapped market, MAKO Invent experienced rapid growth and became the largest invention development firm in North America focused on small businesses and home inventors by 2008.

We would be delighted to share more about our company! In brief, we are the largest physical product development services firm in Canada and the US. Since our inception in 1999, we have developed hundreds of projects, received numerous design and invention awards, and have products in 71 countries across over 500 retail stores.

Our social media presence boasts thousands of inventors, and our creative product development teams operate from locations in downtown Toronto, Austin, and London. We have been featured in various news articles, highlighting our achievements.

We encourage you to visit us in person, as meeting our team of skilled designers and product strategists will provide valuable insights into how we can collaborate effectively on your project. You may be surprised by our affordability, given the high quality of service we provide.

We specialize in a diverse range of products, primarily focusing on consumer goods such as homeware, garden supplies, tools, toys, consumer electronics, games, and furniture.

Our extensive experience developing products for home inventors and small firms has equipped our design and research team with expertise in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, plastics, metals, wireless transmission, PCB chipboards, and textiles.

Additionally, we have established partnerships with distributors and manufacturers across various product categories.