D.C. tech incubator 1776 has hired former New York City and State chief digital officer Rachel Haot as managing director. Haot, who served under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, will serve to help 1776 members and portfolio companies understand how to work with governments and engage in what 1776 frequently calls "regulatory hacking."
"It was great timing, for us," said 1776 co-founder Donna Harris in an interview with DC Inno. "We had so many mutual acquaintances and friends over the years, this was a natural evolution."
"I've been in government for five years and it's been amazing but at heart I'm an entrepreneur," Haot said. "This was a unique opportunity to join a group involved in so many things I'm passionate about. It's an incredible moment for the intersection of tech and government and for critical industries."
Haot, who became New York City's chief digital officer in 2011 before moving to the state level in 2013. She worked to spread Wi-Fi access to New York City parks and revamped the city's digital presence before taking on a $1 billion program to give high-speed Internet access to the whole state and change how technology is handled in education. Haot will remain based in New York, but said her experience with government naturally applies to national and international trends.
"There are similar challenges at the federal level, commonalities regardless of where you are," Haot said. "2016 will be very exciting."
