Laura Draxler

As Founder/CEO at The CodeLab, I have led technology teams in clean tech, software and biotech for 10+ years. I have managed teams across multiple functional areas and have shipped a variety of systems and software at Fortune 500 and early stage companies, most recently in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and wastewater treatment/recycling.

Since 2008, I have held multiple leadership roles at the Cleantech Open, most recently leading national and global operations as Vice President of Operations. Cleantech Open is the world's largest accelerator for clean technology startups. In prior roles at the Cleantech Open, I have held program chair positions and have been an advisor to start-ups HelioBioSys, Helios Building Efficiency, MaterialMix, Enfocus, and BioFiltro.

In parallel for 5+ years, I have been an entrepreneur and have provided executive-level leadership and project management to clean energy and energy efficiency start-ups. As CEO of start-up ZERE Energy and Biofuels, I accelerated ZERE’s biomass waste-to-renewable energy business, advanced biofuels technology with NREL, and was awarded grant funding. At Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, I have led partner development of Ultra Low Energy devices.

I also am a science and technology judge for national, academic, and government competitions in engineering, renewable energy, and environmental sciences - for startup, college, and high school competitions.

I am a graduate of the UC Berkeley-Columbia Business School Executive M.B.A. Program. I have a Master of Science in Engineering from Santa Clara University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. I serve on the Board of Directors of ZERE Energy and Biofuels, Inc. and on the Board of YMCA Camp Jones Gulch for the San Francisco Peninsula.