Charu Kurani is lead counsel of innovation and thought leadership at Airbnb, Inc., where she spearheads the company’s patent strategy and programme while contributing to broader IP and AI strategy including IP transactions, open source, academic collaborations and global AI regulation compliance. Previously, she served as associate general counsel of patents at Meta Platforms, Inc., leading a team to enhance efficiency across the patent, licensing, and open-source functions, and managed patent portfolios for Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and monetisation. She has a rich legal background, having held in-house roles at both Splunk, Inc. and at SAP SE as well. Earlier in her career, Ms Kurani served as US patent counsel at Mueller-Bore & Partner in Munich, acting as their sole adviser on US patent matters while also prosecuting European patent applications. Ms Kurani also practiced at law firms in Virginia and served as a patent examiner at the USPTO. Dedicated to inclusive innovation, she actively champions engagement among all inventors. She holds a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a BS in information systems from DePaul University.