For Laura Butler, tech has always been woven into her life. She left Harvard to go work full time at Microsoft, because she was having the time of her life as an intern. She went on to spend 20 years at the company, working on many different big name projects. To her, tech is solving problems for people by people - and everything boils down to tech. She is drawn to getting her hands on things, breaking them - then fixing them again. She is s self proclaimed professional contrarian, intentional rebel and successful misfit. She loves to read about people, history, and logistics - specifically, what works and what doesn't. She likes to run and walk, which is her yoga and helps to clear her brain. She is a cat mom right now, but loves all animals, and enjoys collecting art when she travels. Post Microsoft, she has been an angel investor multiple times, supporting startups and small businesses across a different variety of industries. When she decided to simplify her life and sell her house, Laura went through the process of buying a Condo.. and interacting with the HOA. She realized that the process was a bit arcane, and getting the details up front was near impossible. Her and her co-founder, who happens to also be her mother, set out to bring value to the buyers in the process, with the goal to eventually positively impact all stakeholders. This is the creation story of the Uplift Group. Our Sponsors: * Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.com * Check out Red Hat: https://www.redhat.com * Check out Vanta: https://vanta.com/CODESTORY Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy