OUR JOURNEY

Founded in Silicon Valley

The Inventors Foundation was born in Silicon Valley, the heart of high-tech innovation. We start by honoring inventors and recognizing their intellectual property.

Building a Global Community
The Foundation is expanding beyond borders, bringing together inventors, innovators, and intellectual property rights thought leaders worldwide. By sharing knowledge, best practices, and recognition, we are building a community dedicated to advancing invention.

We are here to recognize inventors.
The Inventors Foundation, a Silicon Valley–based s. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to recognizing inventors and their patented innovations.

Inventors are the lifeblood of the patenting process, but most companies struggle to recognize them in ways that truly resonate. Too often, it’s just plaques or a quick mention at review time, which leaves inventors feeling undervalued and makes it harder for counsel to build the collaborative relationships needed to get quality disclosures.
The Foundation solves this by providing an independent platform that celebrates inventors publicly—through programs like the Inventorium Awards, recognition benchmarking, and storytelling initiatives. That way, inventors feel valued, engagement rises, and legal teams spend less time chasing and more time partnering with inventors to protect meaningful innovation.
A world where inventors are celebrated, their ideas protected, and innovation drives positive change for society.
Champions of Innovation.
The Inventors Foundation champions inventors and their patented innovations by:
- Recognizing and honoring their achievements,
- Educating on the value of intellectual property,
- Building a global community that fosters creativity, collaboration, and impact.

Who We Are

Advisory Council Members

We are pleased to introduce our Advisory Council members for the 2026 term, a group of distinguished experts with deep roots in engineering and intellectual property law. The council includes seasoned IP professionals, in-house counsel, and patent attorneys from leading technology firms. Their collective expertise spans critical sectors such as wireless telecommunications, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and healthcare technology. With backgrounds ranging from award-winning inventors and former USPTO advisors to specialists in global patent strategy and small-business advocacy, these members bring a wealth of practical experience to our leadership team.

Urmil is a registered Patent Attorney specializing in intellectual property law, with a practice focused on patent prosecution and counseling. He possesses deep technical expertise in electronics and software, leveraged from his prior experience as an engineer. Urmil, as in-house counsel at Cisco Systems, advises on protecting innovations ranging from advanced networking hardware to complex software architectures. His unique combination of legal knowledge and engineering background makes him an invaluable voice in discussions on technology and innovation.

URMIL DAVE

Lisa is a registered U.S. patent attorney with over 25 years of experience including in-house in Canada and at law firms in the US. Lisa has managed patent portfolios for clients of all sizes, from large multinational corporations to startups and individual inventors. Lisa is currently Senior IP Specialist with a Canadian non-profit organization where she helps small to medium enterprises strengthen their IP positions.

LISA KOH

Shankar is a Patent Counsel, Senior at Qualcomm, Inc., Santa Clara, where he strategically manages a patent portfolio for innovations in wireless and telecommunications technologies, with a significant focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. He also serves as a co-chair of IPO’s AI/D/ET subcommittee. Prior to joining Qualcomm’s in-house legal team, he was in private practice as a patent attorney, and has prior industry experience as a processor design engineer. He has a JD from the University of Texas, Austin; Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

SHANKAR KRITHIVASAN

Robert is a retired patent agent and lawyer with expertise in electronics, software, and telecommunications. He has been in-house counsel at a number of high technology companies including Blackberry. His extensive IP experience includes innovation capture, patent drafting and prosecution, and invention valuation. He has a B.A.Sc. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from University of Toronto and Concordia University as well as a LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario.

ROBERT LIANG

Daniel is an Intellectual Property Counsel - Associate Director, IP, at Pratt & Whitney Canada, with prior experience in private practice at top-tier law firms and in mechanical engineering. He is registered to practice law in Ontario and New York, and is a registered patent agent in Canada and the United States. Daniel's expertise spans the full spectrum of intellectual property matters, with a focus on patent drafting and prosecution across the U.S., Canadian, and European markets, technology licensing, intellectual-property-intensive contracting, and third-party patent risk management. Daniel regularly advises on legal and strategic issues relating to artificial intelligence and supports IP strategy for emerging technologies in manufacturing and aircraft propulsion.

DANIEL MACKAY

Gary is an award-winning inventor and technologist with over 40 years of innovation leadership in wireless communications and software systems. A co-inventor and key architect behind BlackBerry’s early breakthrough technologies — including the secure email system and foundational patents that shaped the smartphone era — he now serves as Founder and CTO of Bridge Health Solutions, continuing to develop impactful, IP-driven solutions in healthcare.

GARY MOUSSEAU

Olivia is the former Director and Assistant General Counsel heading the IP department at Cruise, an autonomous vehicle company acquired by General Motors. Prior to Cruise, she was an IP attorney at Cisco, Sandia National Laboratories, and in private practice. She also served as Member and Chair of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, a group appointed by the Secretary of Commerce in consultation with the USPTO Director to advise on a wide range of legal, policy, and operational matters and draft an extensive annual report to the President. She has a BS in Electrical Engineering from MIT and a JD from Case Western Reserve University.

OLIVIA TSAI

Nicholas is an intellectual property lawyer and registered patent agent with extensive experience in patent strategy and licensing across wireless, consumer electronics, AI, and connectivity technologies. He has worked closely with inventors and engineering teams to identify, protect, and develop high‑value patent portfolios. And he has led global patent licensing programs resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in agreements with leading technology companies. A former software developer, he has worked closely with inventors and engineering teams throughout his career and is a named inventor on numerous U.S. and European patents.

He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer and Information Science from the University of Guelph. He is called to the Bar of Ontario and is a registered Canadian Patent Agent.

NICHOLAS WILSON

Introducing the Inventorium Awards: Celebrating Innovation and Honoring Excellence

A groundbreaking new annual award recognizes inventors and their transformative inventions, honoring ingenuity and impact across industries. This prestigious accolade highlights trailblazing minds from around the world, showcasing their contributions to science, technology, and beyond.

By celebrating innovation on a global scale, the award aims to inspire future generations and elevate the role of inventors in shaping a better future.

INVENTORIUM

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Introducing Sparks: Telling the story behind the invention

Get ready for an exciting new type of vodcast dedicated to recognizing inventors and their groundbreaking patented inventions.

Join us as we explore the stories behind innovation, the intellectual property strategies that protect them, and the impact these inventions have on the world. Stay tuned for insightful conversations with inventors, IP experts, and industry leaders!

SPARKS

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Enhancing IP Excellence Through Benchmarking

We are launching Calibrate - a new benchmarking program focused on intellectual property best practices to ensure the latest techniques and services are effectively utilized. This initiative will equip teams with cutting-edge strategies to better engage with inventors and optimize the patent process.

By staying ahead of industry trends, we aim to enhance innovation protection and drive stronger, more strategic IP outcomes.

CALIBRATE