Vaclav Laurin ( 16 October 1865, Kamení u Pěnčína - 13 August 1930, Mladá Boleslav) was a Czech engineer, entrepreneur and industrialist.
He was apprenticed as a locksmith in Mladá Boleslav, where, in 1895, he and Václav Klement founded the company Laurin & Klement (now Skoda Auto). At the beginning of December 1895, the mechanic Václav Laurin and the book-seller Václav Klement, both bicycle enthusiasts, started manufacturing bicycles of their own design, patriotically named Slavia in the nationalist atmosphere of the end of the 19th century.[1] In 1905, Laurin manufactured their first automobile. Today the company enjoys world-wide popularity under the brand Škoda Auto.[2]
He was prominently engaged in the construction company Laurin & Klement, together with his collaborator Václav Klement, co-founder of the company. He participated in the construction of the vehicles. In his later years, he was the technical director of Skoda.