bold idea
Close the achievement gap for African American men by creating pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology fields through programs that provide industry experience, job training, and networking.
organization overview
Code2040 aims to close the achievement, wealth, and skills gaps for blacks and Latinos in the United States by creating pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in the innovation economy. We run a summer fellowship for top technical talent, create online and in-person resources to help students prepare for and obtain internships and full-time employment in the tech sector, and work with industry leaders to develop new initiatives that create opportunities for those most underrepresented in the innovation economy.
Personal Bio
Laura is a partner at venture firm Base10, leading portfolio services and operations for the Advancement Initiative, the firm’s $250M growth fund designed to close the endowment gap at America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Laura joined Base10 after working as the Head of Impact at Echoing Green, a global social innovation fund, where she oversaw investments, portfolio support, and impact strategy. Laura is the co-founder and CEO emerita of Code2040, a nationally-recognized, award-winning nonprofit that helped launch the modern movement for diversity in tech.
In 2016, Laura was invited to join the Obama Administration for a tour of duty as senior advisor to US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith on issues of diversity and inclusion and equitable access to capital. From 2014-2016 Laura sat on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) for the US Department of Commerce.
Laura was the American University of Rome’s first Social Entrepreneur in Residence in 2019, and was a 2018 Stanford Social Entrepreneur in Residence, teaching courses on social innovation at both schools. She was a 2016 New America California Fellow, a 2013 Echoing Green Fellow, and a 2013 Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing Entrepreneur.
Laura holds a BA from Harvard and a JD/MBA from Stanford. She once traveled for 303 days with a baby.
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