Lisa La Bonté

Arab Youth Venture Foundation • Founder & CEO

Career roots in Silicon Valley aerospace and info systems, for the past 25 years overseas, Lisa has built businesses and advised multi-nationals (i.e. Raytheon, SK, Lockheed Martin) within 21 nations (Asia, Mid East, EU). As a start-up expert and business strategist, Lisa has launched businesses for Royalty, sovereign wealth funds, UHNWs/family ofcs, and VVIPs.

A venture financier since 1997, Lisa has invested in 76 companies (internet, medical device, software). Exits incl. 18 IPOs, 8 M&A. Lisa has raised over $225MM in capital, advised 100+ SMEs, and served as advisor to industry focused start-up incubators.

From Dubai, Lisa created and served as lead investor and CEO of the Arab Youth Venture Foundation, the first NGO to introduce extra-curricular STEM and space education to the GCC, introducing the STEAM acronym to the public domain in 2007, the A for Aerospace, Astronautics, Aviation, and Astronomy for “inspired STEM”. In 2009 AYVF secured an historic NASA Int’l Space Act Agreement bringing NASA education actively into the region. AYVF launched the model for NASA’s international internships, with the first non-American NASA funded by the Abu Dhabi, UAE government.

Lisa and sponsors strategic workforce development and STEM infrastructure as a staunch advocate for innovation, start-ups, and space training for youth and serves on numerous space boards and committees globally.

Lisa holds an MBA in International Business, a Master of Science in Internet Strategy & Technology Management, and has been an adjunct professor of Asian Business Strategy at the Graduate level

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2018

1–5 October 2018

Bremen, Germany

Participation:

Participation