Laate Olukotun

Laate Olukotun has a diverse and extensive work experience spanning multiple organizations and industries. In 2000, Laate worked as a Business Analyst in the Strategic Consulting Group at Hill Holliday. From 2005 to 2005, they served as a Design Strategist and Intern for the Mayo Clinic's SPARC Innovation Program, where they co-led a project to enhance physicians' work experiences by developing a living lab. In 2006, they worked as an Extern at Jump Associates, Inc.

From 2007 to 2010, as an Experience Designer and Intrapreneur at Steelcase, Inc., Laate successfully launched several ventures, including Workspring, a meeting facility, 654 Croswell, a coworking facility, and the relaunch of the Turnstone furniture brand. They led teams to identify user needs and develop innovative platforms for these ventures.

In 2010, Laate founded Lollygig, a user-centered design consultancy, where they served as the Chief Experience Officer and Founder. They collaborated with various brands, including Amway's Business Innovations Group, to facilitate innovative strategy sessions and develop future roadmaps.

In 2015, Laate took on the role of Director of User Experience at Seaberry Design & Communications and concurrently served as the Director of Marketing at NextFab, a premier makerspace network. During their time at NextFab, they revamped the marketing department, developed a strategic framework, and led teams to enhance branding, website design, and marketing collateral.

Since 2021, Laate has been involved in multiple ventures. They are the Co-Founder and Chief Product & Experience Officer at Innerstill, an enterprise developing wearable electroceutical products for promoting calm and wellbeing. They also work with the NextFab Foundation as a Project Lead, supporting the development of hardware makerspaces and incubators for humanitarian projects and technology development in emerging markets.

In summary, Laate Olukotun has a strong background in user experience design, entrepreneurship, and strategic consulting. They have successfully launched ventures, led diverse teams, and contributed to innovative solutions in various industries throughout their career.

Laate Olukotun completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University between 1994 and 1998. Later, between 2003 and 2006, they pursued a Master of Design degree in Design from the Institute of Design (ID).