Page 145 - Forbes - USA (October 2019)
P. 145
J.B. Pritzker David Robinson
Through his and his wife’s The 1995 NBA MVP’s Ad-
foundation, he has pioneered miral Capital funnels 10%
the use of social impact bonds of profits from its real es-
to fund early childhood ed- tate and private equity invest-
ucation for low-income stu- ments into community proj-
dents in Utah and Chicago. ects and San Antonio charter
school Carver Academy.
George Roberts
Eric & Wendy
Schmidt
His employment-focused
REDF venture philanthropy Their foundation put $50
aims to deploy $5 million in million in sustainable firms,
new debt financing by 2020. including environmental
Its first loan last year was to sensor network Aclima.
a Philadelphia laundry busi-
ness that hires the homeless Jeff Skoll
and the formerly incarcerated.
His Capricorn Investment
Group oversees $5 billion
in assets, most of which are
tied to renewable resourc-
Mark Cuban es and clean technology.
Will & Jada Smith
The serial entrepreneur invests
in mission-driven companies, Their investments include
especially those led by women Quidnet Energy, a stor-
or veterans. Examples of such age system developer to en-
investments include Mahmee, able a carbon-free power
a maternal healthcare tech- grid, and Just Water, which
nology company that counts makes cartons from plants. Ray Dalio
Serena Williams as an inves- With his family, the founder of the world’s biggest hedge fund,
tor, and Combat Flip Flops, Bridgewater Associates, has put $98 million into impact invest-
which manufactures clothing Jim Sorenson ments. Dalio is particularly focused on trying “to find ways of
and shoes in conflict areas and The son of a late billionaire, doing it in support of the oceans,” like funding documentaries.
uses profits to fund the educa- Sorenson donated $13 mil- He’s backed the Global Health Investment Fund, which provides
tion of Afghan girls and other lion to create the Sorenson Im- financing for drugs and vaccines against diseases faced dispro-
charitable causes. In June, portionately in poorer countries, and the Accion Frontier Inclusion
Cuban invested $1 million in pact Center at the University Fund, which backs companies that bring financial services to un-
Hala Systems, which uses AI to of Utah. His Impact Founda- derserved consumers in emerging markets.
prevent violence and keep ci- tion also backs entrepreneurs
vilians safe before, during and trying to solve social issues.
after conflict in places like
Syria. “It’s incredible what they Kat Taylor
have created and how many Christy Walton
lives they have saved,” he says. Taylor, who’s married to bil- Jerry Yang
lionaire Democratic pres- The Yahoo cofounder invests
idential candidate Tom Walton launched investment in socially minded compa-
Steyer, cofounded Radi- fund Cuna del Mar in 2010 nies, including a startup mak-
cle Impact in 2013 to back to back companies working ing healthcare more available
companies engaged in re- to develop a sustainable sup- in Rwanda and Ghana, both
sponsible finance, clean en- ply of seafood, like red snapper personally and through his VC
ergy and healthy food. farmer Earth Ocean Farms. firm AME Cloud Ventures.
Alice & Jim Walton Serena Williams Mark Zuckerberg
Her Serena Ventures invests
The siblings are spear- in groups that embrace di- The Facebook cofound-
heading a program that verse leadership and so- er and his wife have invest-
will issue $300 million cial change, such as Pro- ed more than $100 mil-
in bonds to help charter pel, a food-stamp software lion in a dozen-plus startups,
schools invest in facilities. for low-income Americans. mostly in education.
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