I am a San Francisco-based writer covering enterprise, education technology, health IT, and venture capital.

Prior to VentureBeat, I worked in public relations representing companies in the Big Data, cloud computing and analytics space. Before that, I worked as a freelance writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, TheNextWeb and Digital Trends, among others. In 2011, I received a Masters from the Stanford Graduate School of Journalism.

The first thing people usually notice about me is my weird accent. Growing up, I divided my time between the urban sprawls of New York and London. So when I’m not telling stories, you’ll find me embracing everything that the hippie, chilled-out California lifestyle has to offer: yoga, wine and hiking.

Disclosures: I stand behind VentureBeat’s ethics statement. Prior to VentureBeat, I worked in public relations and marketing, but do not maintain any relationships with former clients that would bias my reporting. I don’t own shares in any company in the tech sector. I don’t accept gifts with the exception of the occasional gift bag swag.

Christina@venturebeat.com

stories by Christina Farr

LaunchPad toys is making educational games, not Angry Birds-like ‘digital pacifiers’

LaunchPad Toys just released a new app, Toontastic Jr. Shrek, and has partnered with DreamWorks Animation. The goal is to make content creation accessible to kids at a very young age.

Zynga & NewSchools team up to launch an accelerator for educational gaming startups

Zynga cofounder Mark Pincus just announced plans to launch an accelerator for startups developing educational games.

U.S. Education Secretary’s stern challenge to entrepreneurs: ‘We have so far to go’

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke frankly to a roomful of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs about the crisis in our current education system.

Fin-tech startup On Deck opens its fourth round, nabs $17M from Google Ventures & Peter Thiel

On Deck says it opened its round to further investment so it can build more products, and hire technical talent. But the company will also benefit from its association with Thiel, a major player in Silicon Valley, and a notoriously founder-friendly investor.

Khan Academy CEO: Education in 2028 won’t be about ‘sitting passively & not questioning authority’

"In 2028 we won't have five thousand people who can help on cancer research. We will have five million people," Khan predicted in a talk about the future of education.

Ex-tech blogger’s new venture hooks up startups on both sides of the Atlantic

Entrepreneur and former journalist Courtney Boyd Myers [above] has launched an agency, dubbed Audience.io, to help tech startups with their audience development and digital marketing efforts as they move across the pond.

Funding daily: It’s wise to invest in enterprise

Startups targeted to businesses, rather than consumers, are increasingly closing the largest rounds. Today was no exception.

Entrepreneurs say the FDA is killing medical innovation

Venture capital is drying up for early-stage medical devices. Experts say that American patients are already "missing out" on the most innovative treatment options.

FCC’s new Digital Learning director puts focus on increasing Internet in schools

The Federal Communications Commission announced today it has hired Michael Steffan as the director of digital learning. Steffen will lead initiatives to expand access to broadband Internet in schools.

Raindance Technologies gets $20M to improve genetic testing, signs deal with Myriad Genetics

"Imagine all diagnostics some day being reduced to a simple blood test," said CEO Roopam Banerjee, who believes Raindance products are a "step in that direction."

Intel and Oregon school seek to speed up genetic research to fight cancer

The goal for the multiyear partnership is to make genetic analysis a routine part of patient care.

‘We’re no rock stars’: Meet Silicon Valley’s tech talent agents (interview)

A San Francisco-based agency called 10x Management is among the first to bring a Hollywood agency model to the tech industry.