A tech entrepreneur and strategic business architect, Margo Drakos is Chief Technology Officer at McChrystal Group, where she is leading the creation, productization, and deployment of the cloud-based CrossLead Platform, an Enterprise solution. Margo also serves as a Principal at Redwall Advisors and Venture Advisor to Otto Capital Partners. Drawing from nearly a decade of experience taking start-ups from inception to significant revenue, Margo has worked with private and public institutions to design and implement positive disruption through the power of technology.

In 2007, Margo co-founded her first start-up, InstantEncore.com, the premiere digital asset management and mobile ticketing platform for performing arts organizations globally. In 2011, she was made a Partner at the SwitchCase Group, the lead investor in InstantEncore.

In 2010, Margo was honored as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a community of extraordinary global leaders under forty. Committed to empowering communities through technology and access to information, Margo founded AppBridge through the Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative, bringing education and economic opportunity to those at risk through mobile applications. Margo is also a frequent guest speaker on entrepreneurship and the arts. Recent speaking engagement highlights include Carnegie Mellon University, the Global Competitiveness Forum of Saudi Arabia, TechVenture in Singapore and the World Economic Forum at Davos.

Margo began her professional career in childhood as a cellist, performing as a soloist and chamber musician globally. At fifteen, she entered music conservatory as a double major in cello and composition. She graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Margo served as Artist-in-Residence at the Aspen Music Festival and Manhattan School of Music from 2002-2008. The former cellist of the American String Quartet, Margo also held posts as Principal Cellist of the San Diego and Seattle Symphonies and Associate Principal of Pittsburgh Symphony. She has recorded for Sony Classical and produced for Naxos Records.

As an Active Duty Army spouse, Margo is deeply committed to military family and Veterans issues. Bridging her passions for National Service and the Arts, in 2014, Margo founded ArtistYear, an initiative of Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project, to bring the arts to underserved communities in America through one year of paid service, in partnership with Curtis Institute of Music. Margo also serves on the Technology Advisory Council of the Franklin Project’s Service Year Platform.

Margo received a Master Degree in Human Rights from Columbia University and an Executive Degree in Global Leadership and Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Her academic publications have appeared in The International Affairs Review, The Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Cornell International Law Journal.

Technology, Cloud Computing, Start-Up Founder, Startup, Start-up Advisor, Innovation, Creativity, Business,