International technologist Christopher Fabian joins the board of directors at Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura, a leading travel-community platform, is excited to announce that Christopher Fabian, a global technologist and innovator, has joined its board of directors as an independent board member.

Fabian joins as Atlas Obscura is embarking on a new phase of platform development to open its capacities to a broader audience around the world.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Chris to the team,” said Joshua Foer, chairman of the board and co-founder of Atlas Obscura. “He brings a wealth of experience as a technological innovator, and a global perspective that aligns with Atlas Obscura’s growing international ambitions.”

Fabian co-founded and co-leads Giga, a joint initiative of UNICEF and ITU to connect every school in the world to the internet. Since 2023, Giga has used applied machine learning to map 2.5 million schools, structured over $1.7 billion in infrastructure investment, and helped connect more than 20 million children. The initiative is hosted by the Governments of Spain and Switzerland.

Previously,Fabian founded UNICEF’s Innovation Unit and created its Venture and Crypto Funds—the first of their kind in the public sector. These funds backed early-stage companies working on drones, data science, machine learning, cryptocurrency, 3D printing, and nanosatellites. The approach combined venture capital and international development, enabling the open-source commercialization of frontier technologies from developing markets.

He was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2013 and one of Wired’s “25 People Changing the World” in 2019. In a personal capacity, he supports startups and deep-tech research in AI and cryptography across every continent except the coldest one.

In addition to Fabian, Atlas Obscura’s board of directors includes Foer as well as Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras, entrepreneur Sam Wick, accounting leader Shane Caiazzo, venture capital leader John Backus, and the company’s chief executive officer Louise Story.