Professor Feras Mousilli in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo courtesy Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Lawyers rarely have to meet clients in the middle of a war zone, but the Russian invasion in Ukraine made that a reality for Feras Mousilli, a tech lawyer teaching in Kyiv. Despite being in the midst of a battle for its survival, Ukraine – known as the “breadbasket of Europe”- has remarkably maintained its role as a hub for technological innovation.
During the global pandemic, Ukrainian startup IOON developed a revolutionary technology to turn ordinary water into a sanitizer based on the combination of electrochemical principles of water saturation with silver ions and active forms of oxygen. At the recommendation of the Ukrainian Startup Fund, the founders of IOON, Andrew Manuilov, sought out Mousilli, an intellectual property law specialist from Silicon Valley, to help secure a patent on their groundbreaking device.
But the war would make it nearly impossible for the startup, based in the Eastern city of Kharkiv to survive the bombardment and shellings, as the lines of communications were cut during Russian occupation and the founders needed to evacuate. Mousilli was able to ultimately connect over the Telegram messaging app to get the information needed from the team and succeeded in securing the patent grant from the USPTO for the fledgling startup.
A rare example of a lawyer that doesn’t shirk from risk, Mousilli finds himself at home whether in boardrooms in Silicon Valley and lecture halls in war-torn regions, a man whose life has been defined by his ability to bridge worlds seemingly disconnected. As a pioneering figure in the fields of law, technology, and entrepreneurship, Mousilli has built a career at the intersection of innovation and advocacy, transforming global businesses while empowering underserved communities.
Big Law to Big Problems
Mousilli, the founder and managing partner of Lloyd & Mousilli, a law firm specializing in intellectual property and business strategy, is not your average attorney. While he has represented the typical industry titan clients like Amazon, Shell, and Broadcom, it is the startups emerging from developing economies like Colombia and Egypt and war ravaged countries like Ukraine and Syria that really set him apart as a global legal advisor. Mousilli has made it his mission to drive innovation not just in boardrooms, but also in regions often overlooked by the global tech ecosystem that have big problems in securing investments and support from the Western world.
“I believe technology and entrepreneurship are the great equalizers,” Mousilli said in an interview. “They have the power to transform lives, even in the most challenging circumstances.”
Through legal support from Lloyd & Mousilli, startups in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and throughout the Middle East have enabled hundreds of employees to find opportunities internationally that the local economies would not have allowed alone. This is the magic of technology and globalization the startup ecosystem allows in every developing country.
From Silicon Valley to Emerging Markets
Mousilli’s professional journey began in the Silicon Hills of Austin, Texas where he began his career at DLA Piper, representing clients in patent litigation as a U.S. Patent Attorney. He would then go in-house to Dell – at the time, the largest personal computing company in the world. His main role was devising product development strategies before he was recruited to Silicon Valley, where he was brought on as Senior Corporate Counsel at Apple. There, he honed his expertise in intellectual property and product development, shaping strategies that helped bring groundbreaking technologies to market, most notably serving as the original Apple Watch product lawyer. However, it was his recognition of the disparity between developed and developing economies that spurred him to action.
While it was prestigious to work for tech giants Apple and Dell, Mousilli found that he was drawn more towards working with early stage companies and startups. He has a real love for founders and the energy that they bring to their startups, especially when they have the power to transform their developing countries through a single unicorn of a startup.
Through his boutique law firm, Lloyd & Mousilli, Mousilli advises startups in emerging markets, providing them with the legal frameworks and strategies they need to scale. He has worked with founders in regions as diverse as Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, tailoring his advice to the unique challenges of their markets. From navigating intellectual property laws in fragmented regulatory environments to securing venture capital in high-risk areas, Mousilli equips entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed.
“He doesn’t just talk about supporting innovation globally—he does it, no matter what,” said Manuilov who worked with Mousilli to launch IOON. “Feras understands the intricacies of operating in developing economies and difficult environments, and his guidance was crucial in helping us secure our patent rights and product future.”
A Scholar and Advocate
Mousilli’s work is as academic as it is practical. A Fulbright Scholar, he has taught law and entrepreneurship at institutions across four continents, including the University of California, Berkeley, and Istanbul University. His lectures often focus on the intersections of law, technology, and innovation, offering insights that draw on both his Silicon Valley expertise and his hands-on experience in global markets. Mousilli likes to make the analogy of a surgeon honing his clinical training in a field hospital on the front line. A lawyer needs to know how to focus on those issues that are critical to keeping his client companies operational with limited resources.
Mousilli began teaching IP and technology commercialization courses at The National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI). The courses focused on developing intellectual property strategies for patents and trademarks, building patent portfolios, software licensing, and commercialization of inventions and business ideas.
Unfortunately, with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. State Department ordered all US personnel to evacuate the country in 2022, so Mousilli had to continue his Fulbright in 2023 at University Tecnologico de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia.
While in Colombia, his primary focus was on researching and lecturing about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Colombia, contributing to the university’s academic curriculum revisions to better incorporate IP and technology commercialization content, as well as authoring a data-based report and presentation about the state of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Mousilli organized the university’s first-ever business startup pitch competition, sponsored by Lloyd & Mousilli, where participating student teams presented their startup business ideas to potential investors.
In addition to his academic roles, Mousilli has extended his advocacy to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. During the ongoing war in Ukraine, he collaborated with local entrepreneurs to help rebuild tech ecosystems disrupted by the conflict. Lloyd & Mousilli has a long history of representing Ukrainian companies, like Preply and Mosqitter and many other startups. The boutique law firm has continued to represent startups in Ukraine’s war zones, from Donoetsk to Kharkiv as demonstrated by IOON. Mousilli has also continued to teach university law classes at KPI, albeit online.
He has also provided pro bono legal counsel to displaced entrepreneurs in the Middle East, enabling them to launch businesses in exile.
“It’s easy to forget the human side of technology when you’re surrounded by the glitz of Silicon Valley,” Mousilli said. “But technology can—and should—be a force for good, especially in places where hope is in short supply.”
A Legacy of Leadership
Mousilli’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has been named a Texas Rising Star by Texas Monthly and one of San Francisco’s top patent attorneys. In 2024, Mousilli was named the Top 15 Trademark Lawyer in the US, out of a pool of over 40,000 other lawyers based on big data.
Yet, it is his pro bono work and commitment to civil rights that stand out. Mousilli has been in leadership positions for various national civil rights organizations. He is actively involved with the ADC, a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage, and the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, shows its dedication to social justice. Mousilli supports broader efforts toward equity and inclusion by providing pro bono legal services and participating in community outreach programs, including the Arab Film Festival and the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI), where he served as Chairman of the Board. Mousilli has used his platform to amplify marginalized voices and drive meaningful change to fight bigotry and hate with powerful art and storytelling that fosters empathy and understanding.
With his work with the Syrian American Counsel, Mousilli has also advocated for democratic reform in Syria and the importance of the rule of law in civil society.
With degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, along with a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law, Mousilli had an atypical educational journey that embodies the rare multidisciplinary approach that defines his career.
“While I didn’t realize it at the time, the Apple recruiters had been keenly interested in my unique biomedical, computer, and legal education. It made sense given all the biometric and health data and technology that is packed into the Apple Watch device.” His work on the Apple Watch and its life saving functions in detecting health issues before they are a medical emergency is a testament to the idea that law and technology can be leveraged not just for profit, but for real life enhancing progress.
A Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, Mousilli remains focused on fostering innovation in developing economies and mentoring the next generation of global entrepreneurs. “The challenges we face in the developing world are immense,” he said. “But with the right tools, the right knowledge, and the right mindset, there’s no limit to what these motivated startup founders can achieve.”
Mousilli points out that being a startup founder is a fundamentally irrational path. The odds are stacked against you since most startups are, statistically, doomed to fail. But for those startup founders that pursue entrepreneurship anyway, they are driven by a grander vision – a passion that fuels them to pursue the idea anyway.
“My advice to these founders is to make sure you surround yourself with people that can fuel your drive and share your enthusiasm to make positive changes. Your legal advisor has to not only share your vision, but also needs to align on your risk tolerance, as well. Find a lawyer that focuses on the solutions when everyone else is caught up in the problems.”
In a world where the divide between the haves and have-nots seems insurmountable, Mousilli’s life and work offer a blueprint for bridging the gap. From Silicon Valley to war zones, his story is one of resilience, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place – one invention and startup at a time.
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