Laura Montoya

Laura is the founder and Managing Partner of Accel Impact Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups that leverage artificial intelligence and deep technology to address high-impact global challenges—without sacrificing financial returns.

With over eight years of experience at the intersection of technology, social impact, and ethical AI development, Montaya has launched and scaled multiple ventures in the AI and machine learning space. She is the founder of the Accel AI Institute and the Latinx in AI (LXAI) organization—both of which foster education, innovation, and inclusion within the global AI community.

Montaya’s academic background spans Biology, Physical Science, and Human Development. After relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area, she began her professional journey at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and later transitioned into software engineering at Intuit, where she contributed to the overhaul of the QuickBooks Online platform.

A committed advocate for inclusion and responsible innovation, Montaya is a director at Women Who Code and has served as an advisor for Udacity’s AI and Data Nanodegree programs. She is also an affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, where she has collaborated on research focused on ethical AI and data sovereignty.

In the academic and research community, Montaya actively chairs and serves on program committees for premier AI and ML conferences including NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, and ACM FAccT. Her recent research includes bias reduction in data representations, the implications of AI development for the Global South, and cross-disciplinary explorations connecting biological and synthetic neural networks through lenses such as mycology, entomology, and computational science.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Montaya has led sessions on social impact, diversity in tech, and ethical AI at global gatherings such as Creative Mornings, Katapult Future Fest, Silicon Valley Future Forum, Tech Inclusion Conference, Thrival Summit, and the Global Hive Summit. She was the keynote speaker for the “Future of Work” at UC Berkeley’s Data and Society Conference.

In addition to her conference work, Montaya has delivered guest lectures and technical workshops at Google, Stanford University, Santa Clara University School of Law, and GTC Deep Learning School. She recently took the TEDx stage in Santa Barbara and has been featured in WITtalks and CIIS podcasts, as well as in outlets such as Xconomy, Verizon News, and Forbes Leadership.