Mr. Derek de Laat is the President and Founder of FIN IP Group, a leading intellectual property (IP) advisory firm. With over 20 years of experience in IP valuation, licensing strategy, and monetization, he has advised on transactions exceeding $7 billion in value, developed hundreds of patent acquisition models, and secured over $1B in financing for patent portfolios and litigation matters.
Mr. de Laat founded FIN IP Group because he knew there was an unmet need in the market for his industry-leading economic analysis, royalty rate development services, and other licensing support services. At FIN IP Group, Mr. de Laat leads a team of finance professionals and overseas all client work, ensuring high-quality, data-driven, and practical outcomes. He is the architect of many of the firm’s proprietary tools and methodologies, which are used to support clients in industries such as semiconductors, consumer electronics, software, pharma, and telecommunications.
Prior to founding FIN IP Group, Mr. de Laat was Vice President of IP Investments & Valuation at WiLAN, and held senior roles at BlackBerry, and Rockstar Consortium. In these roles, he was instrumental in licensing negotiations, portfolio strategy, and IP investments – experiences that shaped his pragmatic approach to IP advisory.
Mr. de Laat has taught business decision modeling and valuation at Carleton University and regularly speaks at university and industry events on topics related to IP strategy and career development. Mr. de Laat is actively involved in LES including local chapter events, being a member of the LES valuation committee, and co-chairing the LES Annual Meeting for Toronto 2027.
Mr. de Laat holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University and an MBA in Finance from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).
