Innovation often starts with a personal problem. For Bree McKeen, the founder of lingerie brand Evelyn & Bobbie, it was years of discomfort—aching shoulders, poor posture, and tension headaches from wearing traditional underwire bras. Frustrated with the lack of better options, she decided to create her own. Today, Bree holds six utility patents and is a leading example of how women can protect their ideas, scale their businesses, and challenge the gender gap in innovation.
According to the World Economic Forum, just 10.9% of all patents granted in the U.S. go to women. That number is slowly climbing, but the gender gap in intellectual property remains vast. Bree’s story is a blueprint for female founders ready to turn ideas into impact—and protect their power along the way.
What Is a Patent? Design vs. Utility
Patents are legal protections that give inventors ownership over their creations. There are two major types:
Design Patents protect how something looks. Think of the iconic Burberry plaid—no one can copy that exact design. Utility Patents protect how something works. This is what companies like Apple secure for their product innovations.
Bree McKeen holds utility patents, which are much harder to get but offer stronger legal protection. “Utility patents say you can’t have something that works exactly like this,” she explains. “It’s what makes your invention unique in function, not just appearance.”
For aspiring entrepreneurs, understanding the difference between these patent types is essential—especially if your product offers a new solution or technology.
Why Women Founders Need to Think About Patents
In the male-dominated startup ecosystem, only around 2% of venture capital goes to female-founded companies. That’s where intellectual property becomes a game-changer.
“Having a patent gives you something concrete,” Bree says. “It helps you get funding and protects your idea from copycats.”
In today’s digital-first world, copycatting is rampant. Products can be replicated in weeks, sometimes using your own content with AI-generated faces or marketing. Having a utility patent allows founders to take down fakes, enforce legal rights, and claim ownership in crowded marketplaces like Amazon or Shopify.
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Protecting Your Business Idea from Day One
If you’re building a product—especially one tailored to women—it’s essential to think about patent protection early in your journey. Bree recommends founders stay cautious and strategic when sharing details of their innovation:
You don’t owe investors your blueprint. Share only with trusted individuals who align with your vision. Treat investor meetings as interviews. Don’t feel pressured to convince everyone. Instead, seek partners who understand your product and its market potential. Guard your time. Fundraising is demanding. Customize your pitch for each investor, but don’t let skeptical or uninterested investors drain your energy.
For women pitching products men might not personally relate to, Bree advises getting creative. Use analogies, comparisons, and storytelling to make the experience relatable. Remember, you are the expert on your product, and it’s your job to translate that vision in a way others can understand.
The Bigger Picture: Closing the Gender Patent Gap
While the number of women inventors is rising, the pace is slow. Structural challenges like lack of mentorship, underrepresentation in STEM fields, and fewer resources contribute to the gap. But stories like Bree McKeen’s are proof that change is possible—and necessary.
By securing patents and sharing their journey, women like Bree are rewriting the narrative around innovation. They’re also helping inspire a new generation of creators, makers, and founders who no longer need to wait for permission to innovate.
Final Thought
The journey from idea to invention to a patented product isn’t easy—but it’s powerful. For women entrepreneurs, understanding and owning intellectual property isn’t just about legal protection. It’s about claiming space in a world that hasn’t always given credit where it’s due.
Whether you’re designing a new bra, developing an app, or creating a product the world hasn’t seen before, protecting your idea is part of protecting your future. As Bree McKeen shows, when women own their ideas, they don’t just change the market—they change the game.
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Only 10.9% of patents in the U.S. are granted to women. Here’s how Bree McKeen, founder of Evelyn & Bobbie, is changing that with utility patents—and what aspiring female founders can learn.