Writing
Stories from the Mousilli family
True stories about the Mousilli family: Feras and Basim, their mother Nada, and the next generation, Nadine and Ayla.
- Career, about FerasFrom engineer to patent attorney: how Feras Mousilli learned to read an inventionFeras Mousilli trained as a biomedical engineer and computer scientist at Johns Hopkins before law school. That training still shapes how he protects founders' inventions.
3 minute read - Everest, about BasimEverest Base Camp in rented gear: what Basim Mousilli brought down the mountainBasim Mousilli climbed to Everest Base Camp with his brother and wrote every step of it. The lesson he brought down: you will always be in the wrong gear, and you go anyway.
2 minute read - Founders and IP, about FerasWhy founders need to think about intellectual property earlyLessons from Feras Mousilli's years at DLA Piper, Dell, Apple and Mousilli Legal on why startups should protect their IP before they raise, launch or sign.3 minute read
- Building, about BasimFrom oilfields to owners: Basim Mousilli's 27 years of building systemsBasim Mousilli built digital oilfields in Brunei and Oman, sold technology across the Middle East, then rebuilt his life and founded Insert Fuel to give owners their time back.2 minute read
- Teaching, about FerasThe professor: Feras Mousilli's classrooms in Kyiv and MedellínFeras Mousilli has taught law and entrepreneurship at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and, as a Fulbright Visiting Professor, at the University of Antioquia in Medellín.2 minute read
- Insert Fuel, about BasimStop chasing busy: the mission behind Insert Fuel and LET GO BOSSBasim Mousilli founded Insert Fuel and LET GO BOSS so business owners can build companies that run without them. Here is the idea, and how it works.2 minute read
- Roots, about FerasHome to Damascus: Feras Mousilli and Syria's foundersIn July 2025 Feras Mousilli returned to Damascus for the first time in fifteen years to speak at SYNC. He now helps Syria's startup community in his father's memory.2 minute read
- Family, about BasimA father first: Basim Mousilli on raising Nadine and Ayla to buildBasim Mousilli coached his daughter Nadine through the full Austin Marathon, and cheers on Ayla's Ayla Views. What fatherhood has taught a builder.2 minute read
- Career, about FerasInside Dell and Apple: what a decade in house taught Feras MousilliFeras Mousilli spent eight years at Dell and then served as Senior Corporate Counsel at Apple for the Apple Watch and MFi. What those years taught him about counsel.2 minute read
- Giving back, about BasimTwo kilometres from Syria: Basim Mousilli and WATANBasim Mousilli served as US board member of WATAN from 2024 to 2026, helping Syrian families return home. The story of the border, the quiet work after, and a chapter closed with Syria free.2 minute read
- Dell, about FerasSeventeen countries, ten people: Feras Mousilli and Dell's first global IP auditFrom 2010 to 2012 Feras Mousilli led Dell's first intellectual property audit across more than 17 countries. Why knowing what you own comes before protecting it.1 minute read
- Oilfield, about BasimThe smart field born smart: Basim Mousilli's team of 23 in BruneiIn Brunei, Basim Mousilli led a team of 23 that built Shell's first smart field born smart. Cycle times down 78 percent, finished 14 days early.1 minute read
- Apple, about FerasCounsel for the Apple Watch and MFi: Feras Mousilli's years at AppleIn 2014 Apple recruited Feras Mousilli as Senior Corporate Counsel for the Apple Watch and the MFi program. What that role covered.1 minute read
- Teaching, about BasimTeaching storytelling in Dubai and Kigali: lessons from two classroomsBasim Mousilli taught storytelling for sales in Dubai in 2018 and to lawyers and founders in Kigali in 2023. Why he teaches stories to people who sell and serve.1 minute read
- Giving back, about FerasWhat a pro bono award means: Feras Mousilli and Volunteer Legal Services of Central TexasFeras Mousilli received the Judge Suzanne Covington Pro Bono Award from Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas. What the organisation does and why the work matters.1 minute read
- Homes, about BasimDesign homes, booked direct: the G-Series homes in Houston and MedellínThe G-Series homes are design homes Basim Mousilli built in Houston and Medellín and hosts as a Superhost, with more than 80 Airbnb reviews, booked direct.1 minute read
- Investing, about FerasCapital for the overlooked: the thesis behind Damask VenturesDamask Ventures, the global venture fund Feras Mousilli manages, backs seed and early stage technology startups in emerging markets. The idea in plain words.1 minute read
- Law firms, about BasimThe law firm that answers every lead: how Faster Intake beganFaster Intake helps law firms answer every call and form, day or night. Basim Mousilli introduced it after speaking on legal AI at IIPLA conferences in Palo Alto.1 minute read
- Syria, about FerasRebuilding from the inside: Feras Mousilli and the Syria Angels NetworkFeras Mousilli supports the Syria Angels Network and advises the EBLA Ventures Network. What the 2025 National Founders Summit and the investor network mean for Syria.1 minute read
- Medellín, about BasimA second home in Medellín: Spanish, standup and a city he choseIn 2022 Basim Mousilli made Medellín a second home. Fluent Spanish, standup comedy twice, and a year split between Medellín and Houston.1 minute read
Teaching, about NadaFifty years, one student at a time: Nada Mousilli, teacherNada Mousilli has taught Arabic and Islam privately since 1974, almost always by referral and almost never to a room of more than one.
1 minute read
Running, about NadineMile by mile: Nadine Mousilli and the Austin MarathonThree months after winning her age group at the Houston Half Marathon, Nadine Mousilli ran the full 26.2 miles of the Austin Marathon, with her father as her coach.
1 minute read
Creating, about AylaAyla Views: the world as Ayla sees itAyla Mousilli shares the world as she sees it on Ayla Views, with the eye of someone who notices what the rest of us walk past.1 minute read- Teaching, about NadaNo names on the page: the quiet rule behind Nada Mousilli's teachingNada Mousilli has taught for families who would rather not be a line in anyone's marketing. Keeping their names private is how her practice has always worked.1 minute read
Running, about NadineWhat comes after 26.2: Nadine keeps runningAfter the Austin Marathon, Nadine Mousilli ran two more half marathons just for fun, and now she is training for ultramarathons.1 minute read- Creating, about AylaBuilding a 3D game with her dadAyla Mousilli is building a 3D game with her father, Basim: her ideas, his systems, and a lot of fun along the way.1 minute read
- Family, about NadaWhere the love of learning began: Nada Mousilli and her sonsOne son became a professor, the other teaches a free class every Thursday. Both say the love of learning started at home, with their mother.1 minute read
- Learning, about NadineA rising star in medicine: Nadine MousilliNadine Mousilli began studying medicine at an early age, and she brings to it the same steady discipline she brings to the road.1 minute read
- Family, about AylaCurious, creative and always making something: Ayla MousilliAyla Mousilli is the youngest in the family, and the one most likely to be making something: a picture, a post or a game.1 minute read
Life story, about FayezDamascus to Houston: the engineer's journey of Fayez MousilliFayez Mousilli (1943 to 2020) graduated from the University of Damascus in 1968, opened his own engineering office in 1970, built hospitals in Syria and ran an air conditioning company in Houston from 1980 to 1993.
2 minute read
Faith, about FayezThe man of Fajr: the faith, the discipline and the boxer, Fayez MousilliFayez Mousilli walked or drove to the masjid for Fajr every day until his last days. A portrait of his faith, his discipline, and the young boxer he once was.2 minute read
Legacy, about FayezWhat Fayez Mousilli taught his sons, in his own wordsFrom Basim's 2001 family essay and Fayez Mousilli's own messages to his son, quoted exactly: what a father from Damascus taught Feras and Basim about work, family and faith.2 minute read
Education, about FayezEducation travels: Fayez Mousilli, Rice University and Malcolm GillisFayez Mousilli, a Houston engineer from Damascus, worked to bring Rice University to Syria and invited its president, Malcolm Gillis. It never became a campus, but it shows what he believed: education travels.2 minute read