Meet Chris Bennett | Technology Startup Founder / Attorney””
We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Bennett and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Chris, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I founded T-I-L® in 2016 as Technology-Innovation-Law, with a social impact mission of providing affordable intellectual property (IP) law and consulting to underserved District of Columbia areas. The combination of my personal journey, informed by growing up in the South in a mostly single-mother led home and being the first to finish college, and my professional path which centered combination of technology + innovation + law, are the fuel for my super powers. I have personally led and contributed to innovations that have produced $0.5B+ in financial value for government and private sector entities. Also, through the life journeys of family, friends, and self I have witnessed the innate innovation within the individual – especially those in underrepresented communities. That innovation potential is naturally accessible and inclusive. It is also legally codified in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution and in comparable rules of law globally. The potential power of this movement was academically captured in publications like “Poor Economics” and research from InventTogether.org. Realizing the potential from democratizing these innovation, or intellectual property rights as they are often called, has the potential to increase economic opportunity for all by about $1 trillion annually in US gross domestic product growth. There are similar benefits for other countries globally.
In 2017 I “ideated” a digital service design to technology enable the business model to reach a global audience, supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (inspired after learning his uncle had missed a $1 million opportunity because he did not understand IP). That “ideation” was a result of listening to the knowledge of Getachew Mengistie Alemu, a former Ethiopian Government Official understood to have been the first director of the agency responsible for intellectual property in the country, and our mutual colleague Adugna Sime – while having coffee in Silver Spring, MD. We pivoted to focus on social impact IP Legal Tech and Law in 2018, relaunching under our T-I-L® Trademark and earning acceptance into the Georgetown Venture Lab. Those were major milestones that catalyzed the social impact journey.
Currently, as a bootstrap startup: digital service has grown as a retail offer since 2019; we attracted a cadre of talented people committed to the mission – including a later stage co-founder; self-funded a software as a service (SaaS) MVP to increase retail scalability and to enable other IP law providers to serve the same market with unique capabilities. The immediate T-I-L(R) Mission is to support 2.7 million creatives and entrepreneurs in creating $5.4 billion of their own financial value by 2030, and more beyond. With current estimates of supporting 109+ entities in creating $43 million of their own financial value in 2023, we believe that the results show the goals are attainable at scale as we raise social impact enterprise funding and execute.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Making the world a better place and being the best person that I can be are my self-actualization goals. Perhaps my Mother and Sister are sources of useful insights. At age five I understand I was described as a solution looking for a problem, because I had a penchant for working to explore and to fix. Much later in life my Sister described me as a “professional student’ . I resemble those remarks in certain respects.
I am a legal tech startup Founder and Practicing Attorney (Full-time) at T-I-L(R), with 30+ years’ experience in technology, innovation, law, including product development and launch results contributing to a “Unicorn” IPO. My education includes: Georgetown JD, University of Pennsylvania MBA, and relevant certifications (Blockchain – UC Berkeley, Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies – Stanford, Data Science – Johns Hopkins, Public Management / Six-Sigma – George Washington).
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Caveat: if the experience is modeled on my “best friend” it implies I have prior knowledge of their preferences. The short answer is that I would treat them to places that I believe would be excellent for them and/or to experiences that would be mutually positive. However, if the test is for a person about whom I have no prior knowledge and will not have an opportunity to ask their preferences, I would:
1. Share that I assume they want a “classic” DC experience, define it for them, confirm that is a win-win, then execute the following based on a model of – A. introduction to the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) Metro; B. Indoor experience, C. Outdoor journey; D. Food; E. Culture; F. Entertainment; G. Spiritual; and H. Momento
2. Introduction – give them a driving tour of select areas of the 68.3 sq. mile District and complementary MD and VA areas, highlighting a bit about each that may be interesting
3. Indoor – tour the White House and the Wilson Building, to see where the seat of executive power resides for the country and the city, respectively
4. Outdoor – canoe or kayak trip on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers (either individual or group, depending on their ability/comfort). Seeing the region from the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers is unique, inclusive and memorable experience
5. Food – two stops, “Ben’s Chili Bowl” as an institution and “Union Kitchen” to connect with the current and emerging culturally diverse cuisine emerging
6. Culture – Porchfest DC, a tour de force of how the Black Community rolls in the DMV by having individual homeowners and neighborhood organizations, host performing artists on their porch or property, to bring engagement and joy to the people
7. Entertainment – Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage for its representation of America as a culturally and musically diverse nation and DC as its Capitol and the 9:30 Club for its diverse performances by musical artists (ranging from “The Roots”, to “Ozomatli”, to “Carbon Leaf”, all of which performed and I attended)
8. Spiritual – Washington National Cathedral, an open, inclusive and ecumenically diverse religious experience in a classical architectural setting, and to Greater Mt Calvary Holy Church on Rhode Island Avenue, to get a dose of spirit with soul
9. Momento – Washington, DC Capitol Visitors Center and a tour of the building. It is the “People’s House”. Each person should have a photo of them in the house and a stop at the Martin Luther King Memorial, because whether or not we acknowledge it, we all “…have a dream….”.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes a community and resources to launch a for profit social impact intellectual property technology venture. That reality is so much so that our current “go to market” launch features those people and organizations. Below we share a “snap shot” of allies with more to come between today and March 31, 2024.
Clients exemplifying the emerging and underestimated innovation resident in historically marginalized communities, those who have given permission to share their stories, are exemplified by: Dr. Akram Karam; Lalene Studios; Can I Live – Resident Owned Business Incubator; MPAC Solutions; Dai Technologies; Wyrd Wonders; Marian Brice; Hireroos; Michael Boone; Girum Seid; Chereese Phillips of DC Natives; Jessica Tunon; City 78; Black Girl Tribe; Basil Labs and others.
Allies and referral partners with whom we work to meet our shared audiences, where they are, provide a sample set that includes: African Diaspora Network; 1863 Ventures; CIL-ROBI; Latino Economic Development Center; JNT; Sarah Elora; Tsion Tirsit (Ethiopia); Attorney Nta (Nigeria, United Kingdom); Norfolk State University; Georgetown Venture Lab; George Washington University; NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center; Global Chamber of Commerce; CONNECTpreneur; Capitol One Pro-Bono Program; District of Columbia Small Business Development Center; Ardent Ventures; SEED SPOT Impact Accelerator; Startups Ignite
Over the past few years organizations funding and / or recognizing T-I-L(R) for its work include, but are not limited to: Inclusive Innovation Equity Impact Fund offered by the Government of the District of Columbia, private sector funders, and managed by 1863 Ventures (2023); Accelerating Black Leadership & Entrepreneurship Program, Silicon Valley Executive Center of Santa Clara University (2023); Global Chamber of Commerce – League of Opportunities (2023); Afro Future Accelerator (2023), Blue Eye Space Grant (2023); Norfolk State University Innovation Center (2022), Nasdaq “Milestone Makers” (2022), Clinton Global Initiative (Nomination) (2022), 1863 Ventures Grant (2021), US Institute of Peace – “PeaceTech Labs” (2021).
The combination of entities like those listed above, and a cadre of diverse and forward people working on the T-I-L(R) Team, all merit a Shout Out! That is in addition to the respect for Family, Friends, and Mentors that have contributed to the progress made to date. Represent!!!
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Image Credits
[FROM TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT, DOWN TO BOTTOM ROW, #S 1 – 8] 1. Georgetown University Law Center, 1995 Juris Doctorate Graduate Class, public photo 2. DC Metro Theater Arts.com website, article presenting reviews of the Capitol Fringe Festival in which T-I-L(R) Founder Christopher Bennett, wrote, performed and co-directed the play “Dancing Through Life – By The Way” 3. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Global Innovation Competition, image of T-I-L(R) Founder, then working for the Government of the District of Columbia and leading its entry as one of fourteen finalist, from over 100 private and public sector applicants globally, invited to present to judges, 4. 1 Million Cups, Presentation to Richmond VA Chapter of Ewing Kauffman Foundation Program with locations nationally, T-I-L(R) Founder presenting the business model to the audience for their feedback and support (one of six total 1 Million Cups research presentations also given to chapters in Charlotte NC, Fairfax County VA, Loudoun County VA, Minneapolis MN, Rapid City SD 5. DC Startup Week Announcement, by Mayor Muriel Bowser, of recipients of funds from the city’s public:private partnership IIEIF (Inclusive Innovation Equity Impact Fund), administered by 1863 Venture, of which T-I-L(R) was a funding recipient to represent the viability of its social impact intellectual property software as a service product 6. [with parental permission] image of student participant in an intellectual property awareness seminar conducted by T-I-L(R) for an Unreasonable Kids Program Event in Norfolk VA 7. [with the permission of each person / image shown] six T-I-L(R) clients that have given permission to publicly share their stories including [from top clockwise at 1 O’clock position, MPACSolutions Founder and Performing Artist “Prez” / Michael Anderson, Can I Live – Resident Owned Business Incubator Founder Racquel Williams-Jones, Dai Technologies Founder Sheryl Ponds, Poet Girum Seid, Finger Fun Club Creator and Retired Teacher Marian Brice, and Lalene Studios / The Storied Life Co-founders and sisters “Lana” Jackson and Jilene Jackson, respectively. 8. Copyright.gov , publicly available record of T-I-L(R) copyright registration for article describing a collaboration of private and academia/public sector advocates coming together to develop idea to support residents of the City of Baltimore.
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