Joel Sterling Douglas

Joel Sterling Douglas - Innovative Inventor from Tampa, FL

If there’s a blueprint for the modern inventor-entrepreneur, this man wrote it.

For a remarkable career spanning decades, he has not just filed patents; he has put them to work. A named inventor on 109 U.S. patents, every single one has been successfully licensed or exited. That’s not just rare; it’s almost unheard of. It’s the kind of track record that speaks volumes about a mind wired not only to invent but to execute, commercialize, and scale.

He is the co-founder of Menlo Park Patents and WizardIP, firms built on the premise that inventors and startups deserve top-tier intellectual property services without the sticker shock typically associated with traditional legal firms. And who better to offer that expertise than someone who has lived it, having raised capital, built teams, exited startups, and navigated the complex world of patents with surgical precision?

His career as a startup founder and CTO has taken him from medical devices to renewable energy and advanced materials. At Loon Medical, he led the development of the CareSentinel system, a home monitoring solution designed for the elderly and those with mobility impairments. At Engineered Carbon Solutions, he helped commercialize an innovative hybrid pellet for the renewable heating market. At eGen, LLC, he guided the creation of a novel low-head hydroelectric system. From MysticMD Inc. to Amira Medical, where he helped pioneer the first alternate site glucose meter, his ventures have consistently been years ahead of the curve.

He’s not just a builder of products; he’s a builder of knowledge. A professor of entrepreneurship and intellectual property, he has taught at Trinity College (Hartford), Florida Gulf Coast University, and the University of New Haven. He’s a licensed U.S. Patent Agent, holds Professional Engineering licenses in CT, FL, and VT, and brings regulatory expertise, including 29 U.S. 510(k) medical device clearances and a 513(g) ruling.

He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UConn and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of New Haven. This rare dual-discipline foundation has fueled both the technical and strategic dimensions of his career.

Whether he’s mentoring founders, engineering new solutions, or redefining how intellectual property services should be delivered, his work reflects a core philosophy: Ideas are only as powerful as your ability to protect and launch them into the world.