Dr. Astrid J. Scholz is a Founder and Managing Partner of Sphaera, a system design and technology firm dedicated to co-creating global, distributed, democratic infrastructure for mobilizing data, innovations, and capital to solve today’s wicked problems. Astrid was previously President of Ecotrust, a conservation-based development organization with $150M in assets under management, where Sphaera was incubated. She is also a Senior Consultant for Uncompromise, a global strategic consulting and advisory firm. Astrid is a Founding Director and Treasurer of the XXcelerate Fund, a revolving loan fund and mentorship program created for and by women entrepreneurs that is piloting in her home state of Oregon, USA. She is also a Founding Director and Treasurer of Zebras Unite, a growing global community of founders, investors, and allies who are creating a more ethical, inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable approach to building businesses. Astrid holds degrees from the University of St. Andrews, the University of Bristol, and the University of California, Berkeley.