Nelu Lazar

Activist, Artist, Business mentor, Connector, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Filmmaker, Idea generator, Musician, Parent, Producer, Social entrepreneur, Startup, Technologist, Writer/Editor

Nelu Lazar's work is spread across several domains. He is an engineer by day, and also a technology evangelist, tech community projects activist, software developer, entrepreneur and startup consultant in his past free time. Nelu founded Lafayettech in 2008 as an educational platform for local businesses and startups in Greater Lafayette, Indiana to embrace and integrate new technologies, and also as a way to interconnect and mix local businesses with emerging startups and with students and with local talent in a co-working environment. Nelu founded Lafayette's first brick & mortar Tech HUB in 2012 that offered co-working activities and that was the driver for additional amazing local efforts for economic and technology development in this area such as the MatchBOX Coworking Studio downtown Lafayette, Indiana. The Tech HUB was the outcome of years of planning together with a handful of other important local leaders and co-working supporters. Nelu led past editions of local Startup Weekend, and initiated large tech conferences in Greater Lafayette by organizing Lafayette Digital Media Conference, Lafayette Facebook Conference, and a series of Startup Showcase events highlighting successful local tech companies. Focused on the education reshape trend, Nelu also extended Lafayettech's efforts to K-12, by founding K12TECH in 2014 - a community group of Greater Lafayette's teachers, educators and parents that plan to see our children growing to help build cool innovative creative products "Made in Lafayette". Whenever he had a chance over the years, Nelu shaped Nehloo Interactive as a software development company, and launched several new software products and brands from scratch and leaded their product management process from concept idea to development and market launch. Under Nehloo Interactive, he also consulted startups and businesses on product management, technology integration and business development, and worked on developing their custom software apps. Today, time permitting outside the business hours, Nelu Lazar is a singer-songwriter, producer, co-founder of acoustic & rock bands, and prosodic book writer. Nelu’s vocal interpretation is mesmerizing, and his audience is always enthralled when he plays acoustic guitar - and some cobza - versions of traditional fiddling, world romani, alternative folk, folk-rock, grunge, punk, and rock genres, including his original songs from his albums and folk and rock operas he released so far - and some surprises for each unique audience and each distinctive show. Nelu Lazar is the author of the poetry book and music album "din vremuri de departe, din vremuri de demult" ("of times from afar, of times from ages") and of the lyrics book and rock opera "The Seasons' Journey". In 2014, Nelu Lazar was the initiator and Executive Director of TEDxLafayette, a sold-out wonderful and impactful TEDx event in Lafayette, Indiana. Nelu loves working with innovating talented people and helping new ventures understand their path options to success.

Artist, Business Analytics, Drummer, Education Technologies Research, Engineering, Music Production, Product Management, Singer-Songwriter, Software Engineering, Startups, Entrepreneurship & Innovation