Chief Executive Officer Carlos is the CEO of BuildZig and the buck stops with him. He is the leader of the BuildZig team, providing vision and focus to ensure we meet our mission, core values, and goals. Prior to helping form BuildZig, Carlos was President and founder of an entitlements company and managing member of a real estate investment company.

Carlos served as Chief of Staff to the Oakland City Council President as advisor on economic development issues under Jerry Brown’s mayoral term. He has extensive experience in lobbying, community organizing, as well as the more technical aspects of real estate investment and development. Carlos received his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Anthropology from UCLA, and his master’s degree in Environmental Science from Yale. Before attending Yale, Carlos lived in the Amazon rainforest with the Achuar tribe, sparking his interest in protecting the environment.

Carlos is passionate about sustainable development and reducing our impact on this planet. He is most excited about working on projects that can demonstrate how to do that in a profitable and beautiful way.

Laura oversees the funds control depart and all Buildzig transactions – including property acquisitions.

After graduating from UC Berkeley school of law, Laura began her career in the public service branch of the City of Oakland Attorney’s office. She focused on quality of life issues impacting community members in the East Lake, Fruitvale and Maxwell Park neighborhoods during her tenure. Inspired by the positive impact that thoughtful development can have in neighborhoods, Laura moved to the private sector and eventually helped to form BuildZig.

Laura particularly enjoys assisting homeowners add ADUs to their homes, which epitomize BuildZig’s core values and our mission by creating additional housing in the area and helping homeowners build wealth and create passive income opportunities and/or to increase the flexibility of the use of their home. Laura also holds a black belt in kenpo karate and is an avid runner, teaches boot camp classes at her local gym and is the proud mother of two.

John brings an unparalleled level of experience to BuildZig's Funds Control Department and is able to find solutions to any and all problems. John specializes in budget review analysis and has been certified as an expert witness testimony on best practices for construction payments and mechanics liens. John’s interest in construction was initially sparked by a middle school shop class and has developed into a life-long passion and career. John started working on construction sites to earn money for college and ultimately earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from CSU San Marcos. He holds certifications as a Licensed General Contractor, Certified Construction Inspector (CCI), Registered Home Inspector (RHI), and Certified Review Appraiser (CRA). In his free time, John spends his off-work hours recreating the latest recipes from America’s Test Kitchen with his wife.

Josephine has a Bachelor in Law/ Master in Sustainable development and Urban Planning.
 Josephine worked for 3 years developing an Aviation business park in Paris Region (France). She has experience working on large scale projects and developed a Master plan for 1,000 acres of land for the next 20 years, and developed a business and marketing strategy for the site. She also worked as an urban planner and strategy consultant for cities helping them define a sustainable development strategy for the future (worked on transportation issues, zoning, economic development strategies).

Josephine loves improving people’s daily lives and developing areas to make them attractive. She is passionate about sustainable development and interested in how sustainable development can be integrated in real estate projects.