Shannon Spanhake is a multi-talented problem solver and entrepreneur. Spanhake has extensive experience in various fields, including healthcare, space, government, and the environment. She has not only built but also sold multiple startups, led UN assignments, worked as a Deputy Chief Innovation Officer for the City and County of San Francisco, and scaled patented technology from lab to market. She studied Masters in Fine Art at the University of California San Diego and Bachelors of Fine Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Despite not graduating, she studied at The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Spanhake has also held advisory roles at the United Nations and served as the Founder of Cleo, Director of Marketing Communications at Planet Labs, Deputy Chief Innovation Officer at City and County of San Francisco, Senior Researcher at Institute for Financial Management & Research (IFMR), and Post-Doctoral Researcher at California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.