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Karen Bhatia is a lawyer, policymaker and entrepreneur helping businesses and economies grow. She is currently on the faculty of Stanford University teaching about the role of business model innovation and technology for economic development. She previously led tech at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, overseeing a $200+ Million portfolio of approximately 30 tech and entrepreneurship projects. This includes developing NYC’s blockchain strategy, launching the first publicly-funded Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Lab in the US, leading New York City’s strategy to develop a Center for Responsible Artificial Intelligence and expanding affordable broadband access to poor neighborhoods in NYC. During her tenure leading tech, NYC rose to be the #2 city for tech entrepreneurship in the world.

Karen is also an attorney, entrepreneur and startup advisor. She worked in the Capital Markets practice group of a Wall Street law firm, helping companies raise financing through debt offerings and IPOs. She was also the principal of her own law firm advising tech startups on corporate issues, financing and overall business strategy. As an entrepreneur, Karen founded ActionCam, an educational platform explaining public policy issues and providing resources for people to take action. Karen also founded Stanford Startups NY, a business network of over 800 Stanford entrepreneurs and investors in the region. She is an advisor to several tech organizations and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Mott Hall, a public middle school in the South Bronx, NYC. Karen has a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School.