Alexandra Wright-Gladstein is the co-founder and CEO of Ayar Labs (formerly OptiBit), a technology startup that is bringing the high bandwidths and energy efficiency of fiber optic communications directly to silicon computer chips. Ayar Labs will revolutionize the performance and energy efficiency of data centers, and ultimately of all electronics.

Alex brought together the team of researchers across three universities (MIT, CU Boulder, and UC Berkeley) to form Ayar Labs, where she raised its first $27M in venture funding and recruited Charlie Wuischpard as CEO. 

We get into the nitty gritty of what it takes to spin out a piece university research into a startup, talking about her early days knocking on professor's doors looking for technology to license. We hear secrets of applying to SBIR grants and the importance for an entrepreneur to establish trust with researchers. 

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to turn a piece of research into a fully commercialized startup. 

More about Alex

Alex graduated with an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Business. While at MIT, she was the Energy Practice Leader at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, helping students create clean energy startups out of MIT labs. Prior to MIT, Alex worked at the leading smart grid company, EnerNOC, where she managed and grew data-driven energy efficiency and demand response programs. She has also worked for early-stage clean energy companies Loci Controls and Angaza Design.

Follow Alex on Twitter at @ga1ex. 

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