English
Co-Founder and CEO, GVA LaunchGurus
Lawrence is a serial entrepreneur, occasional business angel investor, mentor, and deep student of Russia. With 5 startups under his belt, Lawrence is passionate about innovating new ways to help startups and investors achieve success.
Lawrence’s rich background has centered on leadership in hi-tech and innovation. As a country manager for a Fortune 300 IT and systems integration company in the ‘90s, he pioneered hi-tech cooperation, breaking down barriers between US and Russian S&T centers. As a State Department political appointee to a $1 billion S&T fund, he forged new initiatives to successfully commercialize a dozen innovative technologies. As a serial entrepreneur and investor at several startups, he led several to successful capital raises, launches, and delivered fast and early results. Additionally, he supported several other startups to raise venture capital. As the first endowed chair (Zimin Chair for entrepreneurial leadership) and professor of practice at Russia’s top business school, he pushed the boundaries of entrepreneurship education, and demonstrated that fusing practical education with acceleration methods can deliver amazing results (>30% of graduates startups are successful).
Lawrence has a B.A. in political science and Russian studies, and an M.A. in international commerce. He speaks Russian fluently, is married and has two children.
