Brian Forde Keynote Speaker

Co-Founder and CEO of FinTech start-up, Numero
Director of Digital Currency, MIT Media Lab (2015-2017)
Senior Advisor for Mobile and Data Innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2011-14)

Brian Forde's Biography

Brian Forde is the CEO and co-founder of Numero, the fundraising platform that has powered thousands of U.S. Senate, gubernatorial, congressional, and state and local campaigns to raise more than $2 billion. He built Numero after running for Congress himself in 2018, where he raised more money than nearly every other challenger in the country.

Before Numero, Brian served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where he earned a reputation for using emerging technologies to solve problems that government alone couldn’t fix — from rewriting outdated FEMA rules to house thousands of Sandy survivors through platforms like Airbnb, to briefing President Obama on Bitcoin before most of Washington knew what it was.

He then directed MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative, one of the most influential research programs in the early history of cryptocurrency, where he recruited the world’s leading Bitcoin core developers into a neutral academic home, educated heads of state, finance ministers, and regulators on digital currency policy, and raised over $100,000 in scholarships to expand access to digital currency education for college students.

Earlier in his career, he founded one of the largest phone companies in Nicaragua after serving as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer — an experience that earned him recognition as a 40 Under 40 Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, alongside being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and Graduate of the Last Decade by London Business School.

He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Alison and two children.

Bitcoin 101: An Introduction to Bitcoin, the Blockchain, the Future of Transactions

The future of the finance, government, insurance, media and entertainment, travel, healthcare, education, the sharing economy, and many more sectors will each be impacted by cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, yet this technology remains highly misunderstood. In his signature talk on bitcoin, Brian educates audiences on how bitcoin works, dispels popular misnomers, and provides real life examples about how it’s being used throughout the world. He’ll also provide insights on the strengths and weaknesses of this technology to prepare leaders for experimenting with bitcoin in their organisations.

Technology, Government and Public Policy

Building and Scaling High-Growth Startups

Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Solving Complex Problems

He helps organisations understand how emerging technologies can transform industries, public services and democratic engagement, drawing on experience across government, entrepreneurship and digital innovation.
He translates complex technologies such as cryptocurrency, fintech and digital platforms into practical strategies, enabling leaders to embrace innovation, solve real-world challenges and drive meaningful impact.
He combines experience as a White House adviser, technology entrepreneur and venture builder, offering unique insight into how government, business and innovation can work together to accelerate change.
As founder of Numero and former Director of the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative, he has helped shape the future of political technology, digital fundraising and cryptocurrency policy at the highest levels.
His keynotes equip audiences to navigate technological disruption, identify emerging opportunities and harness innovation to build more resilient, effective and forward-thinking organisations.

Videos of Brian Forde

MIT's Brian Forde: Bitcoin Innovations will Come from Developing Countries | WIRED

TEDxLondonBusinessSchool - Brian Forde- Rethinking Social Enterprise

World Economic Forum 2017

Comments & Testimonials

"If you are at all interested or have a stake in the disruptions that technology is causing in every sector of modern society, you would do well to have Brian Forde help explain who wins, who loses, and where will we all end up."

Open-ticketed

"Brian’s command of his subject won instant respect from senior innovation executives at some of the world’s largest enterprise companies. His energy and passion ignited profound interest, as he unfolded the many ways blockchain technology might disrupt ‘business as usual’ in their industries. I’ve lost count of the times our attendees referenced his session â?? both at the event and in subsequent conversations.”

Technology

"Brian is an engaging, compelling speaker who makes an audience instantly grasp the complexity of the new rules being written by bitcoin and the blockchain. He was a standout success at the WIRED Money conference."

Publishing