Innovation and Intellectual Property: Mayora IP and Universidad del Valle Boost Business Training in Guatemala

By Mayora IP

Mayora IP, in collaboration with the Technology Transfer Office (OTT) of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, is expanding business training in innovation and intellectual property (IP).
The program convenes local companies, visiting professors from Mexico, and experts in the valuation and monetization of intangible assets. Its purpose is to equip participants with practical tools to identify opportunities for innovation, understand the strategic role of IP, and transform ideas into market-ready products and services.

From Invention to Innovation

One of the program’s core lessons is the difference between invention and innovation:

-Invention refers to creating a new idea, product, or technical solution.
-Innovation goes a step further by turning those ideas into solutions that create value for customers, society, and markets.

Participants practice methodologies to define problems, identify target users, evaluate novelty, and pinpoint what differentiates their products or services.

Two case studies illustrate the principle:

-TOMS Shoes, a U.S.-based company known for its “One for One” model, where each purchase funds the donation of shoes or social impact programs. It demonstrates how innovation can combine commercial success with social responsibility.

-Ecofiltro, a Guatemalan social enterprise that developed a low-cost ceramic water filter using local materials. Its innovation lies not just in the technology but in its scalable distribution model, which has brought clean drinking water to rural communities while building a sustainable business.

Different Faces of Innovation

The program examines how innovation takes multiple forms:

-Discontinuous innovation, radical breakthroughs that create entirely new markets.
-Disruptive innovation, products that become more affordable or accessible, capturing new customer segments. Ecofiltro is a local example, while Pollo Pinulito illustrates how innovation in food distribution reshaped the fast-food market.

The sessions also discuss how disruptive models can reshape entire value chains, as seen with Uber’s impact on transportation.

Practical Methods and Intellectual Property Protection

Another featured methodology is the Lead User Method, which identifies early adopters who apply products in unconventional ways, revealing new opportunities for development.

Participants also gain a grounding in the fundamentals of IP protection and patentability: novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. Patentable inventions may include processes, chemical compositions, molecules, genetic material, and software—all of which can and should be protected to maximize both social and commercial returns.