Melissa Blaustein is the founder and CEO of Allied for Startups, a worldwide network of advocacy organizations focused on improving the policy environment for startups. Her background in digital policy and advocacy spans the local, national, and international levels, having held roles at The White House, UN Women, UNEP, the G20 Research Group, with Fmr. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and on the team of many San Francisco politicians. Her entrepreneurial spirit has lead her to take on many challenges in the startup and technology space, including advising the French government on a taxation structure for the digital economy, serving as an ambassador at an accelerator in Paris and working at the Vice President of International Outreach at France Digitale, an association dedicated to lobbying the government on behalf of startups in France. Blaustein holds a Masters Degree Cum Laude from Sciences Po in Paris and an undergraduate degree with honors from UC Berkeley.