Engineers who understand the patents they write.

Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering from MIT and a Master’s degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. He also studied Intellectual Property Law at Harvard Law School and theoretical geophysics at the University of Cambridge (UK). Dan has worked with NASA, the Northwestern Astronomical Observatory, Siemens Corporation, and the law firm Frommer, Lawrence, and Haug, LLP.

He was awarded the Siemens Westinghouse National Science Award, recognized by Science Magazine as ‘a junior Nobel Prize,’ which is given to one team in the U.S. for engineering excellence. Dan remains actively involved in astrophysics and space exploration, contributing to scientific and legal presentations at NASA, MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to his patent work and thought leadership in the intellectual property space, Dan is also a passionate angel investor and advisor to early stage technology companies.

Stephen has extensive experience in patent prosecution, having worked with law firms in Boston and San Francisco, where he advises tech startups on patent portfolio development, drafting, and prosecution. He has taught seminars on patent law and strategy at prestigious institutions, including Cornell University, Harvard Medical School, the London School of Economics, MIT, New York University, and the Wharton School, as well as universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Stephen also mentors university startups through the Harvard Innovation Labs and the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and has been appointed an expert in residence at various incubators and accelerators. He has co-founded and served as chief engineer and software engineer for three award-winning startups, including Active Spectrum, a finalist in the MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition.

Stephen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from MIT with four degrees in physics and electrical engineering, where he conducted research in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and taught digital signal processing courses. He received the President Paul E. Gray Award for Excellence in Research and the Goodwin Medal, MIT’s highest honor for teaching excellence by a graduate student. He earned his law degree from New York University School of Law, where he was a Dean’s Award Scholar and an InSITE Fellow, advising startups and venture capitalists on patents, technology, and entrepreneurship. Stephen is also an alumnus of the International Patent Drafting Training Program hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a UN agency based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Stephen’s recent publications include:

• M. Rui, S. M. Hou. PTAB Case Studies of AI Disclosure Requirements: Part I. Solve Intelligence. 16 Feb 2026.
• A. Zhang, S. M. Hou. Attention Is All You Need: Prior Art in the Age of AI. Solve Intelligence. 7 May 2025.
• S. M. Hou. International Patent Office Guidance on Artificial Intelligence Inventions. Solve Intelligence. 15 May 2024.

Outside of his professional life, Stephen enjoys reading, listening to music, swimming, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Kerim brings two decades of academic and industry experience in emerging technologies and technology licensing to his work with startups, specializing in drafting patent applications for complex inventions in electrical engineering and computer science. He collaborates with startup inventors and a team of scientists and engineers at the forefront of applying artificial intelligence and data science across industries such as healthcare, agtech, fintech, e-commerce, blockchain, aerospace, energy, and nuclear engineering.

Kerim began his career at a photonics startup in Canada while pursuing his Master’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering. He later earned a PhD in Telecommunications from INRS in Montreal and served as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), where he developed evolutionary and modular upgrades for emerging information systems. Kerim also held the position of Vice President of Technology at a technology licensing startup spun out of MIT, where he played a key role in translating research breakthroughs for clients and managing a patent portfolio.

Shirley earned her PhD from MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, following a BEng degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Victoria, Canada. She has passed the U.S. Patent Bar Exam and brings experience working with startup companies in software, AI, medical devices, and consumer products.

Maryann is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT, where her research focuses on mechanism design, control theory, and statistical learning. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in EECS, from UC Berkeley.

Andrew is a PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. He is committed to leveraging AI to make medical care more accessible, reliable, and equitable. His current research centers around AI predictive modeling of patient health outcomes using multimodal data such as imaging and diagnostic assays. Prior to graduate school, Andrew studied biology and computer science at Harvard. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys amateur astronomy and visiting old bookstores.

Andrew is an undergraduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT with a strong interest in design, ranging from injection molding yo-yos to fabricating remote-controlled robots. He has worked in undergraduate research at MIT’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab, where he assisted in 3D printing a lamp that adjusts its brightness and color based on its position in space. Additionally, Andrew mentored at the Edgerton Center, training peers on fabrication equipment such as laser cutters and 3D printers. Outside of class and research, he enjoys spending time at MIT’s wood shop and cycling with the school’s club. One summer, he and six other students biked across the U.S., hosting STEM workshops for middle schools along the way. His most memorable woodworking project was creating a functioning electric guitar from scratch and building a live-edge, resin-filled coffee table.

Misha graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000 and has built a distinguished career in the patent drafting industry. He specializes in creating high-quality patent drawings for both utility and design patents, assisting clients across various sectors, including software, consumer goods, and mechanical devices. Misha’s expertise encompasses all aspects of preparing and prosecuting patent applications, ensuring precise and compliant illustrations that effectively support the protection of intellectual property.

Maciej holds a BA in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Chicago, an MA in Physics from UCLA, and an MS in Computer Science, also from the University of Chicago. He initially studied string theory at UCLA before transitioning to software development. As a software developer, he has worked for Oracle, Chicago Trading Company, and Bank of America. In his spare time, Maciej enjoys playing the piano.

June Kayath is an undergraduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics at MIT. Her research interests include the statistical and mathematical foundations of machine learning. Outside of work, June enjoys reading and walking long distances.

Amir holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Emory University. He is a writer with a cross-disciplinary background in the humanities, fluent in three languages, and has expertise in poetry studies. His other degrees include an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota and a BA in English and Environmental Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

As an administrator at APA, Amir continues to work with people across disciplinary and national boundaries, expanding his skills and training into new cross-disciplinary areas that similarly rely on attention to detail, close reading, creativity, and method. In addition to his professional work, Amir supports environmental sustainability and social advocacy.

Albert began his journey as a serial entrepreneur by creating the first version of Course Hero in just two weeks, which eventually grew to a valuation of $3.6 billion. He also co-founded 121nexus, a biomedical tracking company that was acquired and rebranded as Soom in 2015, scaling to over $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). After the acquisition, Albert contributed to early product teams at several prominent Silicon Valley unicorns, including Teespring, Checkr, and Chime. Additionally, he co-founded Sidr.io, a Y Combinator-backed startup that provides sales tax solutions for online merchants. Albert holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University.

Steve graduated with a degree in Mathematics from MIT and earned a PhD in Finance from Yale University. He is currently a professor at the University of Georgia’s School of Business. Since 2006, Steve has served as a dedicated advisor to APA, providing invaluable strategic guidance to the company.

Kia is an immigrant from Iran, born into a Baha’i family, most of whom fled the country before the 1979 revolution. He moved to the U.S. 20 years ago to join a large portion of his family in California. With just $200 and limited knowledge of the language, he began working and quickly adapted to his new environment.

Trilingual, Kia divides his time between the San Francisco Bay Area, Medellín and Miami. From an early age, while studying technology, he became more fascinated by the deals and historical context, which naturally led him to become a communicator of technology’s value.

Kia has had a significant impact in building and managing strategic portfolios for various SaaS organizations. He has consulted for companies such as USAA, Capital One, U.S. Bank, Bose, Boeing, P&G, Virgin Atlantic, Booking.com, Workday, Uber, Fidelity, and many other globally recognized brands.

With a diverse background in real estate, healthcare, fintech, cybersecurity, and AI, Kia is a leader and coach. He holds investments in several startups, including Luna Leila and Solve Intelligence, which he also advises. His ultimate goal is to drive investment in the next generation of technology businesses and improve the world by allocating resources to build shelters, schools, and hospitals in developing nations.

Lori Corpuz works in company formation and venture investing at Primary Venture Partners ($1.7B AUM NYC seed-stage fund), focused on Physical Networks × AI with Marcela Sapone. Her work centers on forming, capitalizing, and operating companies that modernize the world’s physical backbone—where energy infrastructure, compute, and industrial intelligence converge. Current formations span AI control systems for midstream networks and data-driven platforms for land, water, and power assets.

With over a decade of experience across product, venture capital, and capital markets, Lori has supported more than $220 million in capital formation and built products and operated across both institutional and startup environments. She actively invests in AI and energy, and holds positions in crypto. She’s deeply interested in the dynamics of chaos and complexity. Outside of work, Lori is a triathlete, meditator, chess player, and emerging poet.

Foster is the Vice President of Legal at Symplr Software, with 17 years of in-house legal experience. He began his career as a Staff Attorney at Mainline Information Systems, IBM’s largest channel partner in North America, and most recently served as General Counsel & Chief Evangelist for Pramata Corporation. Prior to that, he was legal counsel for private equity-backed Vertafore. Foster also has entrepreneurial and inventor experience, having founded two companies, including his most recent venture, Tactile VR. He is a first-named inventor on three U.S. patents and a Canadian patent.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Foster attended Penn State University, where he earned degrees in international politics and Japanese. He earned his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Florida State University College of Law and is a Member of the Florida Bar. A world traveler, Foster speaks Japanese, French, and Mandarin Chinese.

In his free time, Foster enjoys writing, teaching, singing, and playing guitar. He publishes a weekly LinkedIn newsletter on Commercial Contracts and writes a monthly column on SaaS Agreements for the Contract Nerds blog. He is named after his grandfather, who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service in World War II. Foster resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, two sons, and two dogs.