Courtney Gras

I am an entrepreneur with a passion for working with people, and an inability to sit still. After leaving my job as a power systems engineer at NASA to follow my passion for entrepreneurship with my own startup company, I have focused my career on supporting and empowering young entrepreneurs through public speaking, coaching, and consulting.

For those that know me, you know that I grew-up homeschooled, and am a cheerleader of non-traditional education. I had the wonderful privilege of starting my college career in 9th grade as a post-secondary student, whereafter I continued to attend the University of Akron to study electrical engineering. I co-founded the Akron-based clean energy startup, Design Flux Technologies while an undergraduate at Akron. While serving as Chief Operations Officer, I had the honor of being awarded the “Forbes 30 Under 30” for my contributions within the organization in 2016.

Shortly following my graduation in 2013, I began a full-time career at NASA Glenn Research Center in parallel with my startup company role, and left that position in 2014 to launch a new career path at a small engineering consulting company, USA Firmware. During my time there, I quickly transitioned to a role aligned with my strongest skills and talents, and served as Sales Manager for the organization.

I recently decided it was just about time to “make the jump” to full-time entrepreneur, and have been focusing the majority of my time on my startup while spending my free time helping other prospective-entrepreneurs, startups, and startup support organizations achieve their goals.

Now, I am working to establish myself as a leading a female voice in male-dominated industries with the goal of encouraging other young entrepreneurs (especially women) to pursue non-traditional career paths. Aligned with these interests, I am pursuing a career in public speaking and career-coaching services. I frequently address students and early-career professionals on topics related to entrepreneurship, women in STEM and leadership, and non-traditional career paths. Finally, as a passionate member of the NE Ohio startup community, I serve as Board Member for the Akron-based Launch League startup community, and am a consultant for the EX[L] Center at the University of Akron.