Alana Ackerson

Alana received a B.A. with Honors in Science, Technology and Society from Stanford University, an M.A. in Philosophical and Systematic Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and a Doctorate of Ministry with a focus on technology and faith from San Francisco Theological Seminary, where she also trained as a spiritual director. 

Dr. Alana Ackerson is a technology entrepreneur & investor.  She was most recently an Investment Partner with Connecticut Innovations, the strategic venture arm for the state of Connecticut. Alana was previously Founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group's subsidiary HQ Digital, a next-generation investment platform and multi-family office, where she worked with the world’s preeminent digital assets, blockchain, and DeFi entrepreneurs and investors. Prior to DCG, Alana co-founded Figure, a multi-billion dollar FinTech company, and Provenance Blockchain, the leading public Layer 1 for real world assets. 

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As CEO of the Thiel Foundation, Alana led the organization's efforts to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and promote early investment into scientific and technological innovation. This included the Thiel Fellowship, a program that provides $100,000 grants to young individuals pursuing entrepreneurial ventures and scientific research outside of traditional academic pathways, and Breakout Labs, an initiative designed to fund early-stage companies developing transformative, high-risk scientific innovations that fall outside the scope of conventional venture funding.

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Alana currently serves as a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, having both joined the Independent Task Force on U.S. Innovation Strategy and National Security and spoken on "The Future of FinTech" at the Council's National Conference. She has served on the Board of Directors for Opportunity International, a global microfinance organization, and the Board of Trustees for SFTS. She is a Member of YPO.