Paul Fehlinger

Background

About Paul Fehlinger

Paul Fehlinger is a global leader bridging policy, technology, capital, and entrepreneurship to shape the future of data and AI. He has an executive track record of scaling global organizations and building high-performing innovation ecosystems at the intersection of business and governance. As the inaugural Director of Policy, Governance Innovation & Impact at Project Liberty’s Institute, Paul leads global initiatives for the USD 500m effort to rewire the AI and data economy. He works with LPs and VCs representing more than USD 5 trillion in capital, alongside policymakers, entrepreneurs, technologists, impact leaders, and top universities. His perspectives on the digital economy and governing innovation have been featured in The Economist, ImpactAlpha, New York Times, New Private Markets, Fortune, Politico, Euronews, and Die Zeit, and by various outlets from the Council on Foreign Relations and Stepstone’s Private Markets podcast, over Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report, to Finland’s Innovation Fund Sitra and Oxford University Press. He also publishes VC+POLICY, a platform exploring how capital and policy together can enable better innovation. Paul regularly speaks at forums such as SuperVenture, UN, OECD, G7, AI Action Summit, PEI Impact Investor Asia Summit, Compass Investors Summit, Web Summit Canada, FRAME, ImpactVC, or Norrsken Impact Week. He has served on advisory groups for the World Economic Forum, the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and other bodies. Previously, Paul co-founded and led the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network (2011–2022), pioneering new approaches to cross-border digital markets and governance. He grew the organization from zero to a global platform engaging 400+ stakeholders across 70+ countries, including governments, IGOs, the world’s largest tech companies (USD 10T+ combined market cap), and experts. Under his leadership, its impact was endorsed by the G7, UN, OECD, and EU. Paul is also a VC and policy-focused Affiliate at Harvard in the US, a Senior Fellow at the Hertie School in Europe, and an alumnus of the Newton Venture Program (LocalGlobe VC, LBS, HSBC). He holds a Master’s from Sciences Po Paris and a BA from Maastricht University with Germany's Studienstiftung scholarship.