Laurel Djoukeng was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Metropolitan area. He earned his MBA at Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business in 2020, where he was a Management Leadership for Tomorrow Fellow (MLT). In 2008 he received his Bachelor's from Hampton University.

At Duke University, Laurel launched Sparc the “People-Centric Marketplace” the primary users are college students and recent grads, Sparc connects those users with Employers for recruiting events and career opportunities. Employer’s leverage Sparc for our community members, talent solutions, sourcing, engagement, and event management capabilities.

College students leverage Sparc for career insight and job placement, they earn money on Sparc through paid tutoring engagements with High School students. Sparc has more than 3,000 users, 160 events and job posts, 15+ employers total more than $1,000 in customer revenue, more than 20 tutors with $900 in Gross transactional value.

Djoukeng began his professional career in 2008 as an Associate for Con Edison's GOLD Program. His profession in Finance started in 2010 as an Investment Analyst for PGIM Real Estate, a global private equity firm with $70 billion in assets under management. In 2012, he transitioned to the Carlton Group, an international investment banking firm with more than $125 billion in transactions.

In 2011, Laurel founded the Catalyst Network Foundation Inc.(CNF), a 501(c)(3) social enterprise focused on life enrichment and professional development. At CNF, Laurel has arranged business, law, and tech symposiums at Google, college fairs, resume development, career, and college preparatory workshops throughout the academic school year, instructing more than 5,000 high school students. Djoukeng has curated more than 30 professional events and diverse career recruiting sessions for CNF.

In August of 2016, Hampton University honored Mr. Djoukeng as one of the members of the Inaugural Class of Hampton University's Forty under 40 for leading the way in business, leadership, community, and educational and philanthropic works.