The UK organisation for the business of Open Technology

Dr Laura James is CTO at OPEN (the Online Progressive Engagement Network), and entrepreneur in residence at the University of Cambridge Computer Lab.

She has created and shipped technology products in diverse settings and sectors, including commercial startups, non-profits and co-ops, and has established and scaled organisations, teams and communities. Until recently, Laura was Technology Principal at Doteveryone, the responsible technology think tank, and also served as Head of Delivery at lowRISC CIC. She co-founded Cambridge Makespace, the Digital Life Collective, and the Festival of Maintenance, and helped develop Field Ready, a humanitarian NGO using open hardware and local manufacturing to meet essential needs.

Laura was the first employee and VP Engineering at AlertMe, a connected home startup; on the management team at Evi, an AI startup acquired by Amazon to become Alexa; CEO of Open Knowledge International, a civil society network opening up information for all; and COO at CARET, delivering mission-critical software for the University of Cambridge.

She advises and supports a range of ventures, including the Cofarm Foundation where she is a cfounding trustee, holds Masters and PhD degrees in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and is a Chartered Engineer.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajames/