Laurence Wattrus
About Laurence Wattrus
Laurence Wattrus is the Co-Founder and Head of Program Management at Hammerhead, with a background in engineering and a history of roles in various companies. He played a key role in the development and launch of Hammerhead's products, including the Karoo 1 and Karoo 2.
Title
Laurence Wattrus is the Co-Founder and Head of Program Management at Hammerhead, a company in the Greater New York City Area.
Company: Hammerhead
Laurence Wattrus is one of the co-founders of Hammerhead. At Hammerhead, he oversees hardware product development, engineering, and the manufacturing supply chain. He is responsible for managing contract negotiations, product budgets, and timeline forecasting. Wattrus played a key role in the development and launch of the Karoo 2, Hammerhead's most successful product, and led the company through its transition to being wholly owned and operated by SRAM LLC.
Education and Expertise
Laurence Wattrus has a diverse educational background. He studied at Brown University, where he completed a Master of Science (M.S.) in Engineering within the PRIME - Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. Prior to that, he earned a BSc in Electro-Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. He also took extension courses at UCLA for 11 months. His early education was completed at St. John's College in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he achieved IEB Matriculant.
Professional Background
Laurence Wattrus has accumulated diverse professional experience. Before co-founding Hammerhead, he undertook various internships: at Emcore in California as a Mechanical Engineering Intern, at Bourns in California as an Engineering Intern, at Honeywell in South Africa as an Engineering Intern, at Conbrako in South Africa as an Engineering Intern, and at DCD Dorbyl as a Welding Apprentice. Additionally, he worked as a self-employed photographer for five years in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Achievements at Hammerhead
Laurence Wattrus has been instrumental in several key achievements at Hammerhead. He played a pivotal role in the successful crowdfunding campaign for the Hammerhead One on Dragon Innovation. He was also responsible for driving the launch of the Karoo 1 on a bootstrap budget, which helped the company secure a Series A funding round. His leadership was crucial in the development and launch of the Karoo 2, and he oversaw the strategic transition of Hammerhead to becoming wholly owned by SRAM LLC.