Craig Lawrence

Bio

Craig joined Accel in 2008 to focus on investments in energy and clean technology, with particular interest in demand-side opportunities, including energy efficiency, demand management, smart grid, energy storage, and transportation. Craig is also interested in the impact of new energy technologies on consumers, and in companies that leverage the growing consumer awareness of energy and sustainability issues. Craig brings to Accel over 15 years of experience in R&D, engineering, product development, and senior management. Prior to joining Accel, he spent 10 years at IDEO, one the world’s leading product development and innovation companies. Early in his career at IDEO, Craig led teams of designers, researchers and engineers developing products from concept through manufacturing across a range of industries, including consumer electronics, consumer products, medical devices, furniture, and toys. He developed successful products for market leading companies including Intel, Microsoft, Whirlpool, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, and Steelcase. He holds numerous patents, and his products have been recognized with international design awards. Most recently, Craig founded and led IDEO’s energy practice, which focuses on providing strategy, design, and engineering services to the energy industry. Notable clients of the practice included First Solar, British Petroleum, Rocky Mountain Institute, Ford, and the US Department of Energy. Craig frequently speaks on design and innovation as it relates to the energy industry. While on sabbatical from IDEO, Craig served as an EIR at Mohr Davidow Ventures, developing a business plan and technology strategy for a new automotive startup. Prior to IDEO, Craig was an R&D engineer at Gyration, a startup developing advanced sensor technologies for consumer electronics. He also spent several years at Engineering Dynamics Inc, solving complex engineering problems for the petroleum, power, and water industries. Craig holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and an MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, where his research focused on Smart Materials. Funded by the Department of Energy, Craig explored how we might increase the intelligence, functionality, and efficiency of materials through the use of embedded sensors, actuators and computational power. Craig’s research led to several patents and publications in leading research journals.