In Texas, Carmen Rojas worked to reform building permit rules, driving training and fair wages for construction workers. In New York City, Rojas helped set procurement standards linked to job quality. In Boston, Rojas is helping retiring small-business owners sell their companies to their employees.

Workers in the U.S. have power beyond collective bargaining, says Rojas, the founder of The Worker’s Lab in Oakland. The daughter of Latin American immigrants, Rojas is bringing an entrepreneur’s mindset to building business models to redistribute wealth, increase wages and expand benefits.

“How do we leverage public dollars to incentivize private action?” asked Rojas in an interview with ImpactAlpha.

21st-century workers face shrinking safety nets, a shift away from W-2 employment toward a “gig economy,” and increased automation. Rojas and The Workers Lab support more than 50 entrepreneurs, community organizations, technologists, and advocacy campaigns nationwide, helping workers transform low-wage industries and redefine work in the 21st century.

Read the full interview with Carmen Rojas about The Workers Lab by Megan McFadden at ImpactAlpha.