Laura Ferguson, Peabody-Award Winning CTO 

Meeting Laura Ferguson was a “whoa!” moment: she’s a Founder and the CTO at Create.io, a Washington D.C.-based real estate financials SAAS platform — and she’s won television’s  Peabody award for leading the team that coded CNN’s election data systems (for viewers, that’s aka “the Magic Wall”).

Laura has been a software engineer for many years, working in Java, Javascript and most recently Angular. Her love for bringing people together to build great projects undoubtedly led to her Peabody; for individual success, you need great technical skills — however, Laura is proof that being an innovative project manager who maximizes team output even in the most challenging of circumstances is an essential skill for achieving product success!

Define “entrepreneur.”
An entrepreneur is by definition an adrenaline junkie, someone who takes calculated risks to achieve a great outcome.  When that person inspires others to work together to achieve that goal, that person can be seen as successful. When the collaboration leads to a long-lasting functional company, then the enterprise is successful as well.

Who are your heroes?
On my list:

• • • Golda Meir – For her leadership in founding Israel (and being a woman amongst many men)
    • Amelia Earhart — For courage in chasing her dreams,
    • My Grandmother Edith Allender — For educating herself as an adult and creating a professional career
    • My Mother, Suzanne Allender — For her wisdom in all matters
    • Sheryl Sandberg — Her book really does represent us well

What is your current challenge?
The entrepreneurial road is long, and our team is on a marathon. Keeping our team “hydrated and ready” for the next set of challenges is my biggest challenge.

Your greatest achievement?
Leading our team at Create, and together building something substantial from an idea on paper.

What is your motto?
Keep it fun!

Why are you an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship runs through our family; I just caught the bug.

What problem are you solving?
Making it easier for real estate developers to research properties.

What problem would you like solved?
Climate change.

Item you wish you had invented?
Google search  — I was in an AI Lab at the time, so this isn’t as crazy as it sounds!

Biggest regret?
LOL, not keeping up with my daughter’s history — her scrapbook is woefully behind! Seriously, not building the “Reading Tool,” software I designed when I was a grad student.

What mobile device do you presently use?
Android.

Essential app(s)?
Callr — it calls me when I have a meeting so I’m on time more often.

Which productivity tools (app/software/office supplies) do you use most often?
Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Docs, and Kanbanery [visual project management software].

Which talent would you like to have?
Even sharper problem-solving skills, and being more “type A” about cleaning up the house.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
The Peabody Award in 2008 for our work rebuilding CNN’s election data systems.  I led the development team that built a new system in Java to process all of the election data.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
Attach yourself to a professor in grad school, and don’t be afraid of any of them.

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“All the real estate data and analysis professionals need in one place.”

Your bio in 6 words?
“Mom & CTO who builds great software.”

Are you on Twitter?
Yes — @allenderLaura.

Your nails on a chalkboard moment?
Men not listening to women.

The J.O.B. you’d actually like?
Being the technical co-founder of an earth-changing enterprise.

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Wired.

What are you reading?
Faye Kellerman’s latest mystery  and Kanban.

What is your must-read?
Mythical Man Month, about software engineering.

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Set your objective, and build your skills by taking on projects that will help you become who you want to be.

What conference would you like to keynote?
Grace Hopper [a celebration of women in computing].

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate and binge-watching epic TV dramas.

Short cut, long route, or road less traveled? What’s your roadmap?
I think I’m still making it up as I go, but I have a couple of pieces of software I would like to build, one that would end reading assessment as we know it, and another that would create pressure to improve our impact on the planet.

Podium you’d like to stand on?
I’d like to give a TED talk on building great teams and a TED talk on crafting software that changes our behavior and then our climate.

The memories of a chef are tastes and smells; what would you say are the memories of an entrepreneur?
The team all in smiles working around my dining room table!

What makes you LOL?
What else? Goofy cats!

Who or what inspires you?
Leaders who can turn visions into actions. Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Paul McCartney, Al Gore and Barak Obama.

What’s the most important startup/entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned?
Even if it seems like money is rolling in, spend smart because there are likely to be lean times ahead.

What would be the title of your biography?
The Matzah Ball Entrepreneur. Here’s why:

• • • Keep it simple; a matzah ball shouldn’t be too complicated, and neither should a product.
    • Keep it enjoyable, matzah balls are delicious — your product should be delightful, too.
    • Time it right, it’s got to go into fast-boiling water, then clamp down the lid. Software features should also be carefully timed for release.
    • Presentation matters, so add a carrot and a sprig of parsley for garnish for a fancy dinner, or a whole lot of veggies and chicken for a hearty meal.  Software presentation matters as well!
    • Also, matzah balls exude warmth and comfort – and in business, folks who feel this way about their team will do anything asked of them.

Or maybe this should all be in my TED talk?!

Favorite gadget?
Either my iPad mini (which is my go-to entertainment device) or a sharp knife — the ultimate survival gadget.

Your Ferris Bueller moment: if you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do?
Go skiing, drink hot chocolate, and watch movies – or now that its summer, go for a bike ride.

One place in time you’d like to visit?
The moment the Enigma machine was cracked by Turing and his compatriots.

Part of the trick to staying focused is?
Yoga and exercise really helps – and allowing myself time to be unfocused helps too.

You take a 3-hour ocean tour and get stranded …what 3 items do you have with you?

• • • A water filtration device
    • A frying pan
    • A knife

(Or did you mean if I hadn’t planned it?  In that case, a camera, a cell phone, and a purse full of “stuff.”)

One last thing: what’s the question I should be asking you?
As a society, how can we be great parents and great entrepreneurs/employees? We need to create space for both of these important endeavors. Everyone needs time for life. Allow your teams to take care of their loved ones, and they will repay you with loyalty and their best effort.