Derek de Laat is the President and Founder of FIN IP Group, an IP advisory firm based in Ottawa, Canada. With over 15 years of experience in IP valuation, licensing, and monetization, he has advised transactions exceeding $4 billion, developed hundreds of patent acquisition models, and helped secure more than $500 million in financing for IP portfolios and litigation.
At FIN IP Group, Mr. de Laat leads a team of finance professionals and oversees client engagements across industries such as semiconductors, consumer electronics, software, pharma, and telecommunications. He has developed many of the proprietary tools and methodologies that underpin the firm’s evidence-based approach to IP strategy and valuation. Recognized globally for his expertise, Mr. de Laat has been named one of the world’s top 300 IP strategists (IAM300) for six consecutive years (2019–2024), a reflection of his leadership and impact in the field.
Before founding FIN IP Group, he held senior roles at WiLAN, BlackBerry, and Rockstar Consortium, where he contributed to licensing negotiations, portfolio strategy, and financial planning. These experiences helped shape his pragmatic, results-driven approach to IP advisory.
Mr. de Laat is Co-Chair of the Ottawa chapter of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) and serves on the LES Valuation Committee. He also taught part-time at Carleton University and frequently speaks at universities and industry events on IP strategy and career development.
He holds a BSc in Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management and an MBA in Finance from Carleton University, and is a CPA, CMA, CLP, and CPVA.