Jennifer D. Atala is the Director of Business Development for Durham, North Carolina-based CrossComm, the leading AR/VR app development studio in the US Southeast and a leader in web and mobile app development across the US. She also has her own consulting practice, Atala Consulting, where she has led assessments, established cross-border business partnerships, and advised governments, MNCs, and BSOs to catalyze entrepreneurship growth in the technology industry and invest for impact in developing and emerging economies. With nearly 20 years’ experience in eight countries, Jennifer’s career has spanned from leading data analytics projects for the US government and the private sector to launching eBay-backed startup accelerators in the Middle East and Europe. She has also served as a special advisor to the Swiss Ambassador to Israel on private sector development, as a representative of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on the U.S. State Department’s Libya Task Force, and led award-winning investment process improvement initiatives rooted in customized web application creation and adoption with the largest investment bank in emerging markets – the International Finance Corporation.
Jennifer is also a Fellow with the DC-based Truman National Security Project and serves on the Board of Directors for BuildPalestine, a social enterprise aimed at using technology to crowd-solve development challenges. She regularly gives speaking engagements to universities, leadership groups, and news outlets, and serves as a mentor and judge for tech startup accelerators and competitions.
Jennifer holds an M.A. in International Economics & International Development from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a B.A. in International Relations & Middle East History from the University of Chicago. She conducts business in English, Arabic, and Hebrew.