About us

Trident Invents is an invention and technology licensing agency. We help serious inventors find homes for their best ideas and help companies find new innovations to bring to market. Our vision is to make sure the best ideas win, by making sure they find homes where they can grow and thrive. We represent innovations from new kitchen gadget designs to nano-technology, and present them to companies ranging from niche industry players to corporate giants.

Trident Invents consists of a team of seasoned inventors and licensing agents. We have presented products to hundreds of companies over our almost 20 years in business, and have a vast network of relationships and contacts in the consumer product world. We also have deep experience with every facet of the invention business, from concept to store shelf, and have an extensive referral network of resources to handle virtually every aspect of product creation and commercialization.

We call our philosophy FIP, which stands for Fun, Impact and Profit. We love what we do, we strive to create a massive positive impact in the world, and we define profit as the value we keep from the value we create for others. As inventors, we are eternal optimists and see the world as a place with challenges, for sure, but also a place with a bright future empowered by the collaboration of the inventors of the world, working together for the benfit of all humanity.
History
Trident Invents was founded as Trident Design, LLC in 2000 by inventor, Chris Hawker, as a vehicle for him to develop and and commercialize his own invention ideas. He had started his career as an entrepreneur in 1987, at the age of 13, selling exotic birds he bred in an aviary he built in his bedroom (weird kid). At 16 he started an aquarium maintenance service company, specializing in reef tanks. He started having ideas for improved filters, and began selling his designs to his clients, discovering he had a knack and passion for invention. He sold filters and filter components he designed under the Trident brand all through college.
After graduating from the Ohio State University, he went to guitar-building school in Arizona, and then returned to Columbus, Ohio to start Trident Design, LLC, and inventing full-time. Starting with more aquarium products, moving into guitar maintenance accessories, and then cooking gadgets, Trident started to grow and evolve.
Over the years, more and more inventors and companies would approach Chris and ask for advice with their own inventions and innovations. In 2009, we began to formally offer services, focusing on development, consulting and licensing, serving the serious inventor community and innovation oriented businesses.
Over the last 10+ years we have worked with dozens of inventors to realize their visions and help bring them to market. Our prodcuts have been sold by virtually every major retailer, and have been featured by media outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, Techcrunch and much more. Visit our portfolio to see some of our work.

Rebranding as Trident Invents in 2019, we are excited to continue to support the community of innovators in both the private inventor and corporate world, working to make sure the best ideas win!

About Chris Hawker

Chris Hawker is a husband, a father and an entrepreneur. He is a prolific creator of clever consumer products with a track record of success over 25 years of inventing.

He is an expert in invention licensing, open innovation, product manufacturing, and crowdfunding. He has over a dozen issued patents to his credit. He is a contributor to Entrepreneur.com.

Chris regularly speaks on the business of inventing, and it is his vision to support inventors in turning their dreams into reality. He was invited as a representative of the inventor community to the signing (by President Obama) of the Innovation Act of 2014, which was the first major patent legislation in the US in over 80 years. He has served on the board of the United Inventors Association, and lobbied Congress on patent reform.
Chris grew up in northwest Ohio. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Comparative Religion from the Ohio State University. He is an Eagle Scout, a black belt in Kung-Fu, a tai-chi artist and a certified luthier. He is married to a brilliant artist, Sommer Renaldo, and they have a son, Nico, who is also brilliant in a totally 8 year old boy kind of way. They all live in Columbus, Ohio, the world’s greatest city.
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