Nick Sinai

Nick Sinai is an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Nick was previously the inaugural recipient of the newly established Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellowship at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he focused on data as public infrastructure and the media, policy and economic implications of providing greater public access to government data. Nick’s research, writing, and teaching is focused on technology and innovation in government.

Nick is also a Venture Partner at Insight Venture Partners, a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software companies.

Nick joined Harvard in 2014 from the White House, where he was U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer. At the White House, Nick led President Obama’s Open Data Initiatives to liberate data to fuel innovation and economic growth, and worked to advance innovation in health, energy, education, and finance sectors. Nick also led the Open Government Initiative to ensure the Federal Government is more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.

At the White House, Nick helped start and grow the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, which brings executives, entrepreneurs, technologists, and other innovators into government, and teams them up with Federal employees to improve programs that serve more than 150 million Americans. In August 2015, President Obama signed an executive order that makes the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program a permanent part of the Federal government going forward.

Nick also played a key role in developing the Administration’s $4.5B grid modernization strategy to build a smarter and more secure electric grid, and helped develop the President’s ConnectED initiative to bring fast broadband and digital learning to 99% of students. Prior to the White House, Nick led a team at the Federal Communication Commission and played a key role in crafting the National Broadband Plan.

While in government, Nick was named to the FedScoop 50, the Top 25 Most Influential People Under 40 in Gov and Tech, and the 25th edition of the Federal 100.

Prior to serving in government, Nick was in the venture capital industry at Lehman Brothers Venture Partners (now Tenaya Capital) and Polaris Partners. Nick co-established the new Boston office of Lehman Brothers Venture Partners, sourced investments, and served as a board representative and advisor to portfolio companies. Previously, at Polaris Partners since 2004, Nick helped invest in almost a dozen Internet, software, communications and clean technology companies, including an early stage investment in LogMeIn (NASDAQ: LOGM) and a growth equity investment in Confluence, a financial technology company. Nick has also served in executive and advisory roles with two Boston area start-up technology companies, and as a senior advisor to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Nick started his career as a management consultant in telecom, Internet, and media.

Nick earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. Nick is a Berkeley, CA native, a private pilot, and the father of twin girls.