Laura Shenkar

CEO and founder @ PKN

About

Laura is a seasoned CPG entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Lifestock, a company that produces PKN, the most indulgent, nutritious, and eco-friendly plant-based milk on the market today. With over 25 years of experience in launching and growing companies, implementing disruptive business strategies, and assembling high-performance senior leadership teams, Laura is passionate about creating products that improve the health and well-being of consumers and the planet. Laura is also a principal advisor at Larta Institute, a start-up accelerator that mentors companies in technology and science-based innovations. She leverages her expertise in water, natural resources, agriculture, and sustainability to advise start-ups on market assessments and product launches, introduce entrepreneurs to strategic partners, and keynote at industry events. Laura has published multiple white papers on water strategy, water technology, and water-energy nexus, and has been recognized as a thought leader and influencer in her field.

Country

United States

City

Austin

Industry

Food & Beverages

Skill

Start-ups, Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Venture Capital, Sustainability, Water, Energy, Strategic Planning, Strategic Consulting, Renewable Energy, Private Equity, Due Diligence, Go-to-market Strategy, Program Management, Energy Efficiency, Corporate Development, Product Management

Experience

CEO and founder

PKN

2020-2 - Present · 6 yrs 8 mos

Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

Principal Advisor

Larta Institute

2017 - 2022-2 · 5 yrs

Los Angeles, California

Larta Institute is a technology and science-based start-up accelerator that mentors companies to transform ideas into market-ready, socially-beneficial innovations. Advised start-ups on market assessments and product launches. Introduced African and Asian entrepreneurs at Stockholm Water Week, spurring the creation of new strategic partnerships. Keynoted at Ag Innovation Showcase on water technology market opportunities.

Strategic Advisor

KETOS

2019-3 - 2021-1 · 1 yr 11 mos

San Francisco Bay Area

IoT water intelligence platform providing predictive modeling and mission-critical insights for water networks and indoor agriculture. Advises CEO, developed launch strategy for agriculture markets.

Operations & Business Development Advisor

Artemis Water Strategy

2006 - 2020-2 · 14 yrs

San Francisco Bay Area

Clients include S2G Ventures, NatureVest, Sentera, Arable Labs, Blendhub, and Walmart - Advisor to leading food and agtech investor S2G Ventures: Mentored portfolio companies Arable Labs and Sentera - Blendhub: Food technology production platform for emerging plant-based foods providing a global network of containerized, scalable powder blending technologies. Set US launch plan, open sales discussions with leading plant-based brands - Structured tech-driven investment strategy to acquire and upgrade farms on a critical waterway in the Southwestern US, pivoting grower operations for 3-year payback, 10-year 15% ROI with 15% water savings for impact-driven real asset fund NatureVest -Created $200M in water project finance vehicles for Generate Capital -Drove global outreach for innovative water solutions as part of Walmart’s $500M sustainability initiative. Led analysis of water use and identified 300 solutions for landscaping, onsite water treatment, and rainwater harvesting. Designed pilot program which achieved 30% water savings; systems now used at more than 2000 stores.

Principal

The Artemis Project

2000 - 2006 · 6 yrs

Tel Aviv Area, Israel

Provided advisory and interim expertise for venture-funded technology companies and investment funds. Focused on building, developing and transforming organizations to drive deployment, early sales, and market leadership.

Chief Operating Officer

OTI - On Track Innovations

1997 - 2000 · 3 yrs

Rosh Pina, Israel

Led company's IPO on Germany’s Neuer Markt Exchange. Oversaw 10X revenue growth and team expansion from 45 to 90 employees. Drove marketing and sales strategy initiatives in early-mover markets – Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. Closed partnerships with HP-Verifone and Hutchison Whampoa.

Team Leader

Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage of the Middle East project

1996 - 1997 · 1 yr

Tel Aviv, Israel, Amman Jordan, Ramallah

Worked with Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter to evaluate regional economic opportunities in Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and Palestine

Director of European Operations

Jacada

1995 - 1997 · 2 yrs

London, United Kingdom

Implemented turnaround of European organization for this developer of migration software for legacy applications (NASDAQ:JCDA). Signed distribution partnerships in England, the Netherlands, France, and Ireland.