Evan Burfield

Evan Burfield (born 1976) is an American entrepreneur. According to Christopher M. Schroeder, Burfield is a leading authority on "regulatory hacking," a framework for how startups can work with government and build businesses in complex marketplaces. Burfield was the CEO of Union and cofounded the Washington, D.C. startup incubator 1776 .

Burfield attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a Virginia state-chartered magnet school in Fairfax County, Virginia. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy, politics and economics from St. Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford (2002-2005).

In 1996 at the age of 19, Burfield cofounded netDecide, a provider of enterprise wealth management software. He served first as Executive Vice President and then as Chief Strategy Officer. He left the when it was acquired by Informa Financial Information in 2004. In 2012 he joined the Startup America Initiative to lead Startup DC. He worked with entrepreneurs, angel investors, and community leaders in the region on programs to increase startup activity in the Washington metropolitan area.

In January, 2013, Burfield cofounded startup incubator and seed fund 1776 with Donna Harris. Initially an incubator for startups, the firm developed into a network of incubators and a venture capital fund. In 2017, 1776 merged with Benjamin's Desk; the company's technology platform, Union, was spun out as an independent company led by Burfield as the CEO. Burfield also continues to serve as General Partner and Managing Director of the 1776 Seed Fund.

Burfield authored Regulatory Hacking: A Playbook for Startups in 2018, published by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Group.In 2013, Burfield was named an "Emerging Tech Leader" by Politico as well as a "newsmaker to watch" by Washington Business Journal in 2014. He has appeared as a guest contributor in media outlets including The Washington Post and GE's Ideas Lab. He has appeared as a business and entrepreneur expert for the Consumer Electronics Association. In 2017, he and fellow 1776 cofounder Donna Harris were named "Innovator of the Year" by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.