Angel Fellow
Laura Fingal-Surma
Founding Partner @ Urbanist Ventures | On Deck Angel Fellow | YIMBY founder & COO | early @ TaskRabbit & Side Real Estate | built Walt Disney Family Museum | award-winning architectural designer & real estate developer | Stanford nerd
Founding Partner @ Urbanist Ventures | On Deck Angel Fellow | YIMBY founder & COO | early @ TaskRabbit & Side Real Estate | built Walt Disney Family Museum | award-winning architectural designer & real estate developer | Stanford nerd
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Experience
Urbanist Ventures
Founder
Join the Urbanist Ventures syndicate or brain trust → https://urbanist.vc/
YIMBY Action
Founder, President & Chief Operating Officer
Held many founding and leadership roles at YIMBY movement predecessor orgs and related entities. See LinkedIn.
Infill Studio
Founder, Principal
Bethany Center Senior Housing
Board Member
Hazel.Wood Design Group
Founder, Chief Operating Officer / Project Manager
Exit
Founding City Manager (San Francisco) / Consultant
Plant Construction Company
Assistant Project Manager
The Concord Group
Analyst
Founder
Employee
Board Member
Education
About
Achievements
I built the machine powering YIMBY chapters across the US
Describe the most impressive thing you've done.
Locations
Q&A
What's the most useful business-related book you've ever read?
Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups
Paul Graham essays
A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
What's your favorite non-business book?
City Politics: The Political Economy of Urban America
The Rent Is Too Damn High
One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
If money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
Investing in more startups! Alternately from the beach in Hawaii, NYC in the fall, Colorado during ski season, and poolside in Napa Valley.
What's the most creative thing you've ever done?
Design awesome custom homes
What's your super power?
I am told I can be exceptionally thorough
What's the best way for people to get in touch with you?
Text if urgent, and you probably have my number if it's urgent. Otherwise email [email protected], and please re-ping to help me prioritize as appropriate.
What was the most impactful class you took in school?
US Urban Politics — it inspired me to popularize what I learned (about the government and racism's role in shaping the built environment) through the YIMBY movement.
What words of wisdom do you live by?
Sam Altman: "most people don’t understand exponential curves"
What's something you wish you had done years earlier?
Took a programming class! My parents were software engineers way before Silicon Valley was cool, so I didn't realize how relevant their field would become to my interests until the iPhone started layering a virtual world on top of the physical world.
What's an obstacle you've overcome?
Long story, but I project managed the shit out of my spouse's rare cancer.
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