Reach out to the angel investor community near you. Find an angel willing to give money to create a business that owns your idea and give them a share of the business. Use their money to file the comprehensive patent portfolio needed to protect the idea and defend it in court, if required. I'd guess that $50K and lots of your sweat ought to be enough to get critical patents in place.
With the patent portfolio in place, you can at leisure explore licensing the technology to major players or going into manufacturing on your own.
Going into manufacturing on your own will require additional rounds of funding - but now you quit your day job and tap the venture capital community.
Thanks. In a sense, this is what I was considering, I am just not sure how much disclosure an angel will ask for before funding an idea. I don't want to come across as paranoid in keeping my idea a secret, but I don't want to be naive and give it all away either.
With the patent portfolio in place, you can at leisure explore licensing the technology to major players or going into manufacturing on your own.
Going into manufacturing on your own will require additional rounds of funding - but now you quit your day job and tap the venture capital community.