NYC #TechWeek [Books & Morning Brew] The Politics of Innovation: Founders on the Front Lines

​As the tech landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, the intersection of technology and politics becomes increasingly crucial. The Politics of Innovation: Founders at the Forefront is an event for tech innovators and policymakers.

​Join us for Breakfast and Morning Brew at a local, independent bookstore hosted by Venture Capitalist and Political Strategist, Bradley Tusk. He'll be in conversation with Joseph Connor, the Founder and CEO of startup Odyssey and Alexandra Sternlicht, Tech Reporter at Fortune on how today's tech founders navigate the complex web of political challenges and create opportunities. While risky and complicated to navigate, Joe will discuss how Odyssey is implementing a robust government affairs and political strategy to build their brand, boost their bottom line, and win over regulators. 

​This panel stands out by delivering the perspectives of individuals from every angle of tech and regulation - building, investing, and reporting.

​About Odyssey: Sitting at the intersection of technology, government, and education, Odyssey helps families easily access state funding so that they can attend the school of their choice. Odyssey accomplishes this by partnering with state agencies to administer school choice programs, such as education savings accounts (ESAs), that enable parents to pay for approved educational expenses like school tuition, tutors, technology, software, and curriculum. Odyssey's technology powers programs that collectively support more than 107,000 students across the US receiving more than $225 million in state funding.  

​Meet the Panelists:

​Bradley Tusk is a venture capitalist, political strategist, philanthropist and writer. He is the CEO and co-founder of Tusk Venture Partners, the only VC firm investing solely in early stage startups in highly regulated industries, and the founder of political consulting firm Tusk Strategies. Bradley’s family foundation is funding and leading the national campaign to bring mobile voting to all U.S. elections. Tusk Philanthropies also runs and funds anti-hunger campaigns that have led to the creation of anti-hunger policies and programs (including universal school breakfast programs) in 22 different states, helping to feed over 12.5 million people.

​Bradley is the author of The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups From Death by Politics and Obvious in Hindsight, writes a column for New York Daily News, hosts a podcast called Firewall about the intersection of tech and politics, and is the co-founder of the Gotham Book Prize.

​Joseph Connor is the CEO & Founder of Odyssey, a company that partners with state agencies to administer school choice programs. Odyssey currently serves over 140,000 students by helping them access more than $400 million in state funding for education. Joseph started his career as a teacher and school leader at the KIPP and Rocketship Education school networks. After working in schools for several years, Joseph attended law school where he focused his research on private school choice and education policy. Joseph practiced litigation while advocating for education choice, including working on Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, a landmark school choice case. Joseph previously founded SchoolHouse, a private school network before founding Odyssey. He has also worked as legal counsel for Match Education, AltSchool, the Notre Dame Ace Academies, and Primer.

​Alexandra Sternlicht is a tech reporter at Fortune who covers founders, creators, and startups. Previously, she reported and edited Top Creators and Under 30 at Forbes for nearly five years. She also worked on video and audience development at The New York Times and was the director of marketing at a mobile app startup.

​This event is a part of #TechWeek - a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.