September 10, 2024 - 150 Healthy Years Blair LaCorte and Cow Hugger Ellie Laks

School for Startups Radio

Blair LaCorte – Managing Director of LaCorte Ventures

Blair LaCorte is a seasoned business executive and transformational leader with a diverse career spanning multiple industries, including entertainment, aviation, artificial intelligence, technology development, aerospace & defense, and supply chain management. He was CEO of AEye, the eyes of self driving cars. His cross-industry experience allows him to share best practices and talent between sectors that rarely interact. Blair has held executive roles at various business stages, from startups to growth phases, and from restructuring to liquidity events, including sales, mergers, and IPOs. He excels at engaging teams at different points in their journey, earning their trust and respect to drive businesses to their next stage. His leadership and change management skills help teams focus their strategy, enhance motivation and purpose, and achieve operational alignment. With an entrepreneurial mindset and disciplined approach, Blair has led companies to significant growth and investor returns. He has also been an active investor and advisor to over a hundred companies and nonprofit organizations. His commitment to mentorship, coaching, and team building is evident in his extensive operating, board, publishing, and teaching engagements. Additionally, he serves as a national board member for several positive coaching organizations, demonstrating his dedication to value-based team development. Blair earned his MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where he received the Leibowitz Award for outstanding contributions to his class. He also completed executive coursework in Human Capital and Organizational Behavior at Stanford University.
Ellie Laks – Animal Communicator and Author of My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope

Ellie Laks is the Founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation, a national organization that rescues and rehabilitates unwanted animals and heals people with the same stories of abuse and neglect. She is an animal communicator, powerful speaker, celebrated animal welfare advocate, humane educator, and the author of “My Gentle Barn: Creating a sanctuary where animals heal and children learn to hope,” and “Cow Hug Therapy: How the animals at The Gentle Barn taught me about life, death, and everything in between.” Ellie founded The Gentle Barn in 1999. She invented her own “Gentle Healing” method that allows old, sick, injured, and terrified animals to recover fully using a mixture of Western medicine, holistic healing modalities, holding therapy, and lots of love. Ellie is the creator of cow hug therapy and has hosted hundreds of thousands of people who have come to The Gentle Barn seeking hope. Ellie has appeared on some of the most influential media outlets including The Ellen Show, People Magazine, Life Magazine, Animal Planet, The Huffington Post, Turning Point, Women’s World, The New York Times, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and many more. Ellie is a TEDx speaker and keynote speaker who motivates her audiences toward higher awareness, profound compassion, realizing dreams, and an enhanced sense of purpose. To date, Ellie has saved thousands of animals and hosted over 1,000,000 guests. The Gentle Barn is currently home to approximately 200 animals. The Gentle Barn has three locations in Los Angeles CA, Nashville, TN, and St Louis, MO. It is her goal to be the voice for animals, share their stories, and open the hearts of humanity toward all living beings, “Teaching people kindness and compassion to animals, each other, and our planet.”