Preferred Name: Laura

Last Name: Fingal-Surma

Degree String (e.g. MBA '25): ('06)

Job Title: Founder

Company Name: Urbanist Ventures

City: San Francisco

State/Province: CA

Email: laura@urbanist.vc

Bio: Laura Fingal-Surma is the founder of Urbanist Ventures, a startup studio and angel fund championing bold new ideas at the frontier of urbanism. Flagship portfolio company Swyft Cities is transforming real estate with a gondola-like transit solution that beats driving and enables density. Previously, Laura was a pioneer behind the Yes In My Back Yard movement for abundant, affordable housing and built the first national YIMBY organization. Laura is a member of SPIRE’s Stanford Student Impact Fund Committee. She always wished for a Stanford YIMBY group to emerge, and returning to campus with SREC has inspired a side quest to literally #GrowStanford — and help it subvert short-sighted NIMBY constraints that are counter to the national interest. Laura graduated from Stanford with Honors and Distinction, and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned a B.A. in Urban Studies with a concentration in Architecture & Urban Design. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Laura has always been an early adopter. She fell in love with urban life in Paris, lives in San Francisco with her spouse and twins, and still misses urban exploring with the Detour app.