Advocating for developers worldwide.
The Developers Alliance advocates on behalf of developers, the companies they lead, and the industries that depend on them. We help policymakers and stakeholders understand the specific needs of the developer workforce and advocate for policies that responsibly advance the broader tech sector.
Leadership: Meet the team that’s working for you.
Board Chair – Jake Ward: Developers Alliance Co-Founder, Founder of Data Protocol
Jake is the co-founder and CEO of Data Protocol. He is an advocate for developers and a solver of problems. Jake’s career began in policy communications, evolved to focus on technology, and landed on entrepreneurship. As a veteran of too many policy fights to list, Jake’s journey informs his approach to building companies and helping small, dedicated teams of people to change the world. Jake is a graduate of Wheaton College and Northeastern University.
Advisory Board Member – Sean Higgins
Sean is the co-founder and chief executive officer of St Paul, Minn.-based BetterYou, a habit-building app that leverages artificial intelligence and cognitive science to develop innovative wellness solutions. After getting his MBA in entrepreneurship and finance from the University of St. Thomas, Sean founded his first startup, ilos (acquired by Paylocity), and raised $3 million in capital. He was also an Entrepreneur in Residence at TechStars, where he mentored and sourced companies for the accelerator.
Advisory Board Member – Adri Ofman
Adri is the chief operating officer and partner at Visual Blasters, the creator of the #1 animation app FlipaClip, which has over 100 million installs. Before landing at Visual Blasters in Miami, Fla., Adri earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Temple University and got an early start at the Walt Disney Company working on projects like High School Musical.
Advisory Board Member – Mariah Smith
Mariah is an experienced Android engineer who built and maintained all things Android-related at Trala from 2019-2025, a music education startup and mobile app. After graduating from Princeton University with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and a certificate in robotics and intelligent systems in 2015, Mariah began her engineering career at Caterpillar Inc., where she worked in advanced engineering research exploring V2X IoT technology for construction sites. Subsequently, she joined Case-New Holland (CNH) where she developed specialized Android applications for construction and agriculture display systems.
Funding
The Developers Alliance is funded by developer-first companies invested in developers and the future they are building.
