ProtoShield

Automated IP audits and copyright filings for student prototypes.

Score: 7.6/10BFMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Student entrepreneurs can't affordably protect IP for campus-built tools, delaying product launches by months.

Solution

ProtoShield runs AI-powered IP audits on your code/docs, generates copyright registrations, and provides trade secret best practices tailored for campus-built software. It scans repos, suggests fixes, and files copyrights directly with USCO for quick protection. Get launch-ready IP health score in minutes.

Target Audience

Student entrepreneurs in legaltech building tools on campus

Differentiator

GitHub repo integration for code-level IP scans exclusive to student projects.

Brand Voice

professional

Features

Repo Audit

must-have15h

Connect GitHub, scan for licenses/IP risks.

Copyright Filer

must-have12h

Generate and submit USCO copyright forms.

IP Health Score

must-have10h

Dashboard score + actionable fixes.

Trade Secret Guide

must-have8h

Customized checklist for non-patentable ideas.

Report Export

must-have8h

Professional PDF audits for investors.

Risk Alerts

nice-to-have7h

Real-time notifications on new risks.

Benchmarking

nice-to-have10h

Compare your IP score to peers.

API for CI/CD

nice-to-have12h

Integrate audits into repo workflows.

Total Build Time: 82 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
github_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • one-to-many with audits

audits

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
repo_urltextNo
scoreintYes
statustextNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • foreign key to users.id
  • one-to-many with findings

findings

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
audit_iduuidNo
typetextNo
severitytextNo
resolvedboolNo

Relationships:

  • foreign key to audits.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/audits

Start repo audit

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/audits/:id

Get audit results

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/copyrights

File copyright

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/github/connect

OAuth GitHub

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/audits/:id/export

Download report

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
GitHub APIOpenAI (audit AI)Resend

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth + GitHub integration

20h
  • OAuth
  • Repo list

Week 2: Audit engine

25h
  • Scan logic
  • Score calc

Week 3: Copyright + reports

22h
  • USCO forms
  • PDF export

Week 4: Dashboard + payments

20h
  • UI polish
  • Stripe
Total Timeline: 4 weeks • 87 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No exports or filings

  • 1 audit/mo
  • Basic score

Pro

$15/mo

1 repo

  • Unlimited audits
  • Copyright filing
  • Reports

Enterprise

$99/mo

Unlimited

  • All Pro + multi-repo
  • API access
  • Priority audits

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11202.5%$45$540
Month 69004.5%$607.5$7,290

Unit Economics

$9
CAC
$220
LTV
6%
Churn
90%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 24.4xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Audit Your Prototype's IP Risks Instantly

GitHub scans + copyrights for student devs – protect before launch.

Feature Highlights

AI-powered audits
USCO filings
Health scores
Investor-ready reports

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Found license issues pre-demo.' - Taylor, UC Berkeley"
"'Copyrighted my app in hours.' - Riley, NYU"

First Three Customers

Post in GitHub student repos' issues, rindiehackers dev threads, DM YC student founders on LinkedIn for beta.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/indiehackersHacker NewsTwitter #buildinpublicDev.to

SEO Keywords

github ip auditstudent copyright filingsoftware ip protectionprototype ip checkusco copyright students

Competitive Analysis

Black Duck

blackduck.com
Enterprise $$
Strength

Deep scans

Weakness

Too complex/expensive for students

Our Advantage

Simple, cheap, student-focused

Copyright.gov

copyright.gov
$45/filing
Strength

Official

Weakness

Manual, no audits

Our Advantage

Automated + extras

🏰 Moat Strategy

AI-trained on student open-source repos for accurate risk detection.

⏰ Why Now?

Explosion of student GitHub projects needs automated IP hygiene.

Risks & Mitigation

technicallow severity

GitHub API limits

Mitigation

Caching + rate limits

legalmedium severity

Audit false positives

Mitigation

Manual review option + disclaimers

financiallow severity

AI costs overrun

Mitigation

Prompt optimization

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Poll GitHub student repos

Success: 50% interest

mvp14 days

Repo scan MVP

Success: 20 audits run

growth30 days

Integrate with accelerators

Success: 200 users

Pivot Options

  • Open-source license generator
  • General code auditor
  • Privacy policy gen

Quick Stats

Build Time
87h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$900
Market Size
$400.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
5