Entrepreneur and social innovator Elise Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Praxis Labs, a business that offers immersive virtual reality training for businesses on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Smith was raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was born. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and from Vanderbilt University with a Master of Education in International Education Policy and Management.

Smith worked in education after graduating, working for several organizations as a teacher, instructional coach, and program director. Later, she developed an interest in the relationship between technology and education and began to design immersive virtual reality programs to address issues with bias and discrimination in the workplace.

Together with Shawn Forno, Smith co-founded Praxis Labs in 2017. Walk in My Shoes, the company's primary offering, is an immersive virtual reality training tool that recreates diverse and inclusive workplace environments. Through exposure to many viewpoints and an understanding of how their actions affect others, the program aims to assist employers in developing more inclusive workplaces.

Praxis Labs has established itself as a pioneer in diversity, equity, and inclusion training because to Smith's leadership. The business has collaborated with academic institutions and non-profit groups in addition to clients like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. To extend its offerings, Praxis Labs raised $3 million in startup money in 2020.

Smith received the Echoing Green Fellowship in 2017 and the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education award in 2018 in recognition of her work in technology and education. She frequently speaks on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion because she is dedicated to improving workplace inclusion and fairness for all..

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