LS

Laura Smoliar

Ecosystem Builder, Investor, Board Member, Trusted Advisor, and Speaker. #Innovation, #Entrepreneurship, & #VentureCapital in #sustainability & #healthcare.

San Francisco Bay Area

Invests in

Stages:

  • Min Investment:

    $100,000.00
  • Max Investment:

    $5,000,000.00
  • Target Investment:

    $1,500,000.00

Work Experience

  • Executive Director, Taiwan Science & Technology Hub

    2023

    The Taiwan Science & Technology Hub is an international bridge for science and technology talent, located in the heart of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. The Hub organizes an annual symposium, sponsors postdoctoral fellows, and connects, enables, and empowers our bilateral community through events in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taiwan, and beyond. See more at https://taiwansthub.stanford.edu/.

  • Managing Director

    2022

  • Board Member

    2017

    Nelumbo is commercializing a new platform of nano-structured materials.

  • Board Member (Past Chair)

    2018

  • Founding Partner

    2016

    One of three founding partners, architect of hybrid fund structure that includes a sister philanthropic fund. The Berkeley Catalyst Fund (BCF) is focused on the vibrant startup ecosystem around UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC San Francisco, associated incubators and accelerators, and alumni throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Initiated in close collaboration with UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry and the UC Berkeley Foundation, the fund is committed to sharing its returns with the College of Chemistry. The sector focus is biopharma, agriculture, medical device, clean air, clean water, energy storage, and sensors. The stage is primarily Seed and Series A. The Berkeley Catalyst Fund (BCF) has a hybrid structure, including a sister fund called the Berkeley Catalyst Philanthropic Fund (BCPF), which accepts donations. The BCPF is managed by the UC Berkeley Foundation.

2018 - 2023

  • Board Member

    2018 - 2023

  • Managing Director

    2014 - 2022

    Our team pairs deep innovation leadership experience with cross-cultural understanding to enable mutual success in international business between the U.S.A. and Asia. We connect technical understanding with market and manufacturing know-how for commercialization success across international boundaries.

  • Member of the Executive Advisors Network (XAN)

    2016 - 2018

    As a member of the Executive Advisors Network for Columbia Technology Ventures, I worked with entrepreneurs and inventors at Columbia University to facilitate the transfer of research innovations from the lab to the market, as well as supporting start-up efforts. At the time, Columbia Technology Ventures, the technology transfer office of Columbia University, managed more than 350 invention disclosures from faculty, 100 license deals and 20 new start-ups each year. CTV currently has over 1200 patent assets available for licensing across research fields such as biopharma, medical devices, software, cleantech, semiconductors, and material science. To learn more about CTV and available inventions, please visit www.techventures.columbia.edu.

  • Consultant

    2013 - 2014

    Consulting clients currently include optics & lasers, life science, and contract manufacturing companies.

  • CEO

    2009 - 2013

    Engineering services firm specializing in outsourced product development of optics, lasers, and LED-based systems. Company sold to Enlumen Technologies.