SpotLight on Laura Allen - 15 Second Pitch

The events of September 11th, 2001 led Laura to become an entrepreneur. She, and everybody she knew, was unemployed. She started out just helping friends brainstorm to gain employment. They would meet at a local Starbuck's in New York City and she inspired her friends, and later, friends of friends. They began meeting weekly and Laura was working for free for friends and friends of friends for the first year. She grew more confident and began charging $30 an hour. She continued to expand and now has a growing and thriving business. Laura Allen was the first hire for Cheetah Mail. She explains that she LOVED that company like it was her own. Laura later decided that her desire was to found her own company. She learned a lot from the founders of Cheetah Mail. Cheetah Mail sold in 2004 for a large sum of money to Experian. The company still exists today while many of their competitors closed.