About Us
After prosecuting hundreds of patent applications, we couldn’t help but feel like we weren’t making a difference to the problems that matter most.
As the world grapples with how to halve emissions by 2030, it’s clear that investing in climate tech is non-negotiable—not just in prominent players at the top, but smaller, innovative startups too.
Yet, traditional patent law firms aren’t only expensive; they’re designed for profit maximization. Even while paying exorbitant prices, resource-strapped startups often receive little attention, let alone comprehensive strategies and high-quality patents.
And so, in 2022, we launched the Climate Patent Collective to lend our expertise to climate tech startups facing these barriers. With better patent representation—affordable and mission-aligned—we help them bring their technologies to market.
The result? The world moves one step closer to its climate goals.
Meet the Team
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Alex Flake
FOUNDER & PATENT AGENT
With nearly a decade of experience representing Silicon Valley startups from pre-seed through Series D and acquisition, Alex has drafted and prosecuted patents on everything from ag-tech to 5G telecommunication protocols, machine learning models to material chemistry, and decentralized carbon credit data platforms to wastewater analytics.
His first climate tech project was as a student at Harvey Mudd College, where he designed instrumentation for heliostats in a solar-thermal field. After graduating from Harvey Mudd College, Alex joined Fenwick & West, where his clients included Airbnb, Apple, Dropbox, Facebook, and Uber; later, Alex joined a boutique firm specializing in early-stage patent strategy for startups.
In his free time, he enjoys triathlons, playing board games, and exploring the outdoors.
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Mehrad Yaghmai
VC PARTNER
Mehrad is a partner at Cool Climate Collective, where he invests & supports early-stage Climate Tech founders. He was the former Program Director of Terra’s Climate Change for VCs program and a partner at Climate Foundry.
Prior to his work in climate, he was involved in various programming at MENA-based incubators & accelerators across verticals while also being a mentor to various Techstars programs.
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Robert Sachs
ADVISOR
As a partner at Fenwick & West LLP for nearly 19 years, Bob is one of the most well-known patent lawyers in Silicon Valley. He has published over 150 articles on patent eligibility and patent law, presented at over 30 conferences, and is currently the Vice Chair of the Intellectual Property Owner's Section 101 Legislative Task Force. He has also participated in amicus briefs before the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court.
His former clients include Google, Dreamworks, Dropbox, McKesson, PriceSCAN, and Vulcan.