General Counsel

Neurophos•Austin, TX

10d•Onsite

About The Position

At Neurophos, listed as one of EE Times’ 2025 100 Most Promising Start-ups, we are revolutionizing AI computation with the world’s first metamaterial-based optical computing platform. Our design addresses the traditional shortcoming of silicon photonics for inference and provides an unprecedented AI engine with substantially higher throughput and efficiency than any existing solution. We've created an optical metasurface with 10,000x the density of traditional silicon photonics modulators. This enables a solution with 100x gains in power efficiency for neural network computing without sacrificing throughput; we've made improvements there, too. By integrating metamaterials with conventional optoelectronics, our compute-in-memory optical system surpasses existing solutions by a wide margin and enables truly high-performance and cost-effective AI compute. Join us to shape the future of optical computing. Location: Austin, TX or San Francisco, CA. Full-time onsite position. Position Overview We are hiring a General Counsel to join our leadership team. This role offers legal counsel, corporate support, and guidance to executives, the board, and senior leaders. The General Counsel will lead legal strategy and compliance programs, oversee all legal affairs, and influence organizational strategy, handling domestic and international transactions. This person will protect our intellectual property, navigate the complexities of the semiconductor and AI industries, and manage a growing IP portfolio. They will also lead strategic partnerships with top-tier foundries and global companies, establishing vital relationships. The ideal candidate is an experienced, innovative, collaborative problem solver with strong negotiation, writing, and analytical skills. They should expertly assess risks, think strategically, communicate effectively, and develop practical solutions to complex and novel challenges.

Requirements

JD from an accredited law school and active bar member in good standing.
10+ years of legal experience, with significant time spent in-house at a technology company, ideally within a company producing hardware, deep tech, or semiconductors.
Broad legal knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, litigation, and intellectual property.
Experience in a fast-paced environment, preferably in AI/semiconductor companies
Successful track record managing outside counsel.
Experience with startup fund-raising and venture capital.
Experience in IP protection and licensing.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and strategic thinking skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience within advanced semiconductor companies.
Experience with the complex legal landscape of the AI industry.

Responsibilities

Provide legal advice to executives and management, or coordinate with external counsel, on issues such as regulation, privacy, risk, intellectual property, corporate administration, finance, treasury, and HR.
Lead our legal function and manage outside partnerships.
Prepare and review legal documents and data, advising on appropriate legal actions. Ensure that legal issues, contracts, disputes, and complex transactions comply with relevant legal frameworks.
Provide expertise and guidance on corporate governance policies and procedures throughout the company.
Create and execute risk management policies and procedures. Lead legal efforts for future funding rounds and manage board-level communications regarding risk and compliance.
Draft, negotiate, review, and finalize contracts and agreements.
Develop and implement intellectual property protection strategies.
Negotiate and manage complex manufacturing agreements with top-tier foundries and OSATs.
Oversee NDAs and partnership agreements.
Ensure compliance with export controls, particularly for advanced AI and semiconductor technologies.
Lead all legal aspects of fundraising and strategic partnership activities, such as venture capital financings and strategic investments.
Lead employment law matters, equity compensation, and HR policies.