Our Team
Experienced investors, operators, and technologists united by a passion for deep tech IP.
People Behind the Portfolio
Our team combines deep technical expertise with decades of venture investment experience to identify and support the most promising AI and deep tech inventors.
Catherine Harris
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Catherine Harris is the CEO and Founder of NL Patent AI Capital, where she leads the firm's overall investment strategy and portfolio management. She founded the firm with the conviction that AI intellectual property represents the defining investment opportunity of the decade, drawing on her background spanning venture capital, patent law, and enterprise technology. Prior to founding NL Patent AI Capital, Catherine held senior roles at leading Silicon Valley venture firms where she focused on deep tech and AI investment across multiple fund cycles. She brings deep expertise in IP valuation, technology transfer, and founder partnership, having supported dozens of early-stage companies from initial patent filing to commercial scale. Catherine's investment philosophy centers on identifying founders who combine exceptional technical depth with the strategic clarity to build IP portfolios that define categories. She is drawn to companies where the patent layer is inseparable from the product and business model. Outside of investing, Catherine is an active mentor in the deep tech founder community and a frequent speaker on AI IP strategy and the future of technology investment.
Petra Sousa
Managing Director
Petra Sousa serves as Managing Director at NL Patent AI Capital, where she oversees deal sourcing, portfolio operations, and LP relationships. She joined the firm at its inception, bringing a distinctive combination of technical research credentials and institutional investment experience that has been instrumental in building the firm's investment process. Before joining NL Patent AI Capital, Petra spent several years in technical research at a leading AI laboratory and subsequently transitioned to venture capital where she specialized in evaluating the commercial potential of machine learning and computer vision IP. Her background enables her to assess patent quality with a level of technical rigor that distinguishes the firm's diligence process. Petra is particularly focused on the intersection of AI and biotech, where she believes the combination of computational power and biological data will generate some of the most valuable intellectual property of the coming decade.
Hazel Dunn
Venture Partner
Hazel Dunn is a Venture Partner at NL Patent AI Capital, contributing sector expertise in advanced manufacturing, space technology, and clean energy IP. She works closely with the investment team on sourcing and evaluating opportunities in capital-intensive deep tech categories where her operational and engineering background provides unique insight. Prior to joining NL Patent AI Capital as a Venture Partner, Hazel built and exited a deep-tech startup in the advanced materials space, giving her firsthand understanding of the challenges founders face when commercializing IP-rich technologies. This founder perspective is central to how she evaluates and supports portfolio companies. Hazel is particularly passionate about the intersection of AI and physical-world systems — specifically how machine learning is transforming industries like aerospace, energy, and precision manufacturing by enabling new forms of automated discovery and optimization.
Supported by Deep Expertise
Beyond our core investment team, NL Patent AI Capital is supported by a network of technical advisors, patent attorneys, and domain experts who assist with due diligence across our focus areas. This extended team allows us to evaluate the novelty and defensibility of IP portfolios with a depth that most generalist venture firms cannot match.
Our advisory network includes former chief technology officers of public technology companies, senior AI researchers from leading universities and laboratories, and experienced IP attorneys who have prosecuted patents across dozens of jurisdictions globally.
Join Our Journey
We are always looking for exceptional talent who share our passion for deep tech IP investment. If you are interested in working with us, we would love to hear from you.