From Grit to Greatness – Adam Marez on Lessons in Innovation, Litigation, and IP Strategy

Summary

In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant and battle-tested Adam Marez, CEO of SDA Agency and the visionary mind behind Neblit. Adam’s journey from humble beginnings to scaling multi-million-dollar businesses is nothing short of inspiring. We dive deep into his early struggles, the explosive success of his first startup, and the brutal lessons he learned from a high-stakes IP litigation that nearly cost him everything.

But here’s the twist: that setback became the catalyst for a complete reinvention. Today, Adam shares the IP strategy he developed from the ground up — a tactical playbook that’s helping him build defensible, high-impact innovations in the data compliance and software space. If you’re serious about startups, patents, or scaling a tech company with real staying power, this is one you do not want to miss.

Timeline Highlights

• [1:45] – Adam’s unconventional start: teenage parents, GED, and how curiosity sparked his obsession with problem solving.
• [6:30] – Building his first company from $3,000 to $7.5 million—and what led to its sudden unraveling.
• [15:40] – The brutal reality of IP litigation and why he burned through $80–90K/month on legal fees.
• [26:25] – How Adam’s patent mindset shifted from ego-driven to strategic after litigation forced a complete reset.
• [34:12] – Developing a data-driven IP strategy: scraping 33,000 patents, reverse-engineering the USPTO, and targeting specific examiners.
• [50:20] – Why you should read 1,000 patents if you want to master IP — and how visual patents gave Adam an edge in location cloaking.
• [1:00:05] – Balancing CEO responsibilities with innovation, and how he stays grounded while chasing long-term vision.

Links & Resources

Adam Marez LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammarez/ 

Glowstik Website: https://www.glowstik.com/onboarding 

SDAgency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/systemdesignagency/about/ 

Patent Hacks Website: https://www.patenthacks.com

Trevor Skene LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-skene/

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