Avi Patel is an American serial entrepreneur and technologist known as the founder and CEO of Kled AI, a company that operates at the intersection of artificial intelligence, intellectual property (IP), and the creator economy. He previously founded several other ventures, including the music licensing marketplace Nitrility. Patel is a vocal critic of traditional IP systems, advocating for the use of blockchain and AI to create more equitable and efficient solutions for content creators. ^{[1] [2]}​

Early Life and Education

Avi Patel was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Somerset, New Jersey ^{[1] [3]}. He graduated from Rutgers Preparatory School ^{[3] [4]}. His interests include chess, in which he holds a rating of over 2400, and he was formerly a top-ranked tennis player ^{[2] [5]}.

Following high school, Patel enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to study computer science. During his time at UIUC from 2020 to 2022, he also served as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant ^{[6] [3]}. He ultimately dropped out of college to pursue his entrepreneurial ventures full-time ^{[2] [7]}. Some professional profiles also list attendance at the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2023, where he reportedly studied Business Administration ^[1].

Career

Patel began his entrepreneurial career at a young age, co-founding a ghost kitchen concept at 16 ^[1]. At 18, he founded a social media marketing tool that used generative AI, which he successfully exited through an acquisition in January 2021, which served as a basis for later work with blockchain technology. ^{[2] [3]}​

Before founding his major ventures, Patel gained experience through several internships and positions, including as a Software Engineering Intern at Caterpillar Inc. and Facebook (Meta), and a brief role as a Software Engineer at Citadel Securities in 2022. He also held a position as a Private Equity Summer Analyst at The Blackstone Group. ^{[1] [6]}​

ShipBlu

In May 2021, Patel founded ShipBlu, a technology-driven logistics company aimed at providing fast and reliable e-commerce fulfillment services in Pakistan. He served as its CEO until August 2022 ^[1].

Nitrility

Patel founded Nitrility, a venture focused on the intellectual property space. Sources provide varying founding dates, from January 2021 to August 2022 ^{[2] [1]}. Nitrility was primarily described as a music licensing marketplace designed to simplify the process for content creators, brands, and filmmakers. The platform aimed to connect creators directly with rightsholders to ensure transparency and proper rights management ^{[3] [4]}.

Under Patel's leadership, Nitrility was reported to have partnered with a significant portion of the music industry, managing over $1 billion in IP assets from tens of thousands of rightsholders. The platform's catalog was said to include over 200 million songs ^{[3] [4]}. The venture raised funds from prominent content creators, including Alex Botez and Kio Cyr ^[2]. Other descriptions of Nitrility characterized it as a B2B SaaS platform for sales lead generation or as a Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN) ^{[1] [6]}. Patel's tenure at Nitrility concluded in either August 2023 or January 2024 to focus on his next venture ^{[1] [7]}.

Kled AI

Patel founded Kled AI in either August 2023 or January 2024, serving as its Founder and CEO ^{[1] [2]}. Kled AI evolved from the mission of Nitrility and is described as a Solana-based platform that uses artificial intelligence to build modern IP infrastructure for the creator economy ^{[3] [7]}.

The project has two intertwined focuses. First, it aims to reform the IP system by using blockchain for transparent ownership registries and smart contracts for automated licensing ^[1]. Second, it functions as a decentralized AI data licensing marketplace. Through its mobile app, "Kled," users can monetize their personal data, such as photos, documents, and other content—by licensing it to AI companies for model training ^{[5] [2]}. The platform has a native cryptocurrency token, KLED, which is central to its ecosystem ^[5].

Philosophy on Intellectual Property

Through a series of essays, Patel has articulated a strong critique of the existing intellectual property framework, arguing that it is outdated, overly complex, and detrimental to digital content creators.

Critique of the Current System

Patel contends that the current IP system is fundamentally "failing content creators" by creating significant barriers to creativity and monetization ^[8]. He highlights several key issues:

• Complexity and Opacity: Patel points to the music industry as a prime example, where the process of "sample clearing", securing permissions for master, publishing, and other rights—is a "convoluted, often expensive maze." He argues this complexity stifles innovation and collaboration ^[9].
• Hidden Costs: He identifies significant "hidden costs" associated with copyright claims, which go beyond direct legal fees. These include lost revenue from demonetized content, damage to a creator's channel or reputation, and the emotional toll of disputes ^[10].
• Creative Paralysis: The ambiguity of laws like "fair use" and the constant threat of automated copyright strikes create a climate of fear. This, he argues, leads to self-censorship and a "chilling effect" on creativity, as creators avoid transformative works to minimize legal risk ^{[1] [10]}.

Proposed Solutions

Patel advocates for a complete technological overhaul of the IP infrastructure, built on principles of transparency, efficiency, and creator empowerment. His proposed solution involves leveraging decentralized technologies. He has said:

"The solution lies in leveraging technology to build a new IP infrastructure from the ground up—one that is transparent, efficient, and creator-first. This is where blockchain and decentralized technologies come in... Imagine a global, decentralized registry of intellectual property, where creators can timestamp their work, creating an immutable record of ownership." ^[8]

His vision includes using smart contracts to automate licensing, enabling low-friction, transparent transactions that return control and a greater share of revenue back to the original creators ^[1].

Controversies

Kled AI Token Sale (June 2025)

In June 2025, Patel and the Kled AI project faced public scrutiny following an on-chain investigation by Nicholas Wenzel of Dashcoin Research ^[7]. The investigation revealed that wallets linked to the Kled AI team had systematically sold approximately 58.25 million KLED tokens, valued at around 500,000 token buyback program on May 28, 2025, which led to allegations of hypocrisy and a lack of transparency ^[7].

The report detailed how two wallets, previously funded by the KLED deployer wallet, distributed the tokens across 99 new wallets before selling them for USDC. At least $221,000 of the proceeds were moved to the ChangeNow crypto exchange, suggesting an off-ramp to fiat currency ^[7].

In response to the report, Patel publicly acknowledged the sales on June 11, 2025. He stated the funds were necessary to cover "a ton of expenses" related to the project's "aggressive 100-day milestones" and claimed the team "sold on buys so the market didn’t get hurt." He also initially stated in private messages that Ben Pasternak of the launch platform Believe had suggested the liquidation, a claim Pasternak reportedly denied. Patel later clarified publicly that the decision was not pushed by Believe. On June 12, 2025, following the controversy, Patel announced a 800,000 transfer, also drew community concern in late 2024 or early 2025. The team clarified this move was for "strategic ecosystem development and to provide liquidity for market makers" and not a team sale ^[1].

Other Challenges

Patel has also faced other public challenges. On July 23, 2025, he publicly addressed technical problems with the launch of the KLED token, which he attributed to a partner "accidentally" launching two separate contract addresses for the token, leading to confusion ^[5]. In earlier public statements, he also noted that Kled AI had initially struggled to attract interest from venture capitalists before gaining momentum ^[5].

Awards and Recognition

Patel was accepted as a member of the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for senior-level technology executives. His profile, which is no longer active, listed him as the Founder & CEO of Nitrility and noted his contributions to several expert panels on topics like Web3 and social media strategy for tech brands ^[4].

He is also credited on IMDb as a producer for the 2024 short film The Audition ^[2].