About us
Meet The Founders Pledge Team
Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs to do immense good. We approach this mission with a deep understanding of the sector – Founders Pledge was built for and by entrepreneurs, and launched out of Founders Forum, Europe's foremost network of digital and technology entrepreneurs. Our board members, advisors, sponsors and funders include some of the most influential voices in the tech sector and social sector.
Want to know more about our community and approach to philanthropy?
Meet the Team
David is the co-founder and Global CEO of Founders Pledge. He moved into the non-profit sector from an eclectic commercial background. Having run the gauntlet of finance, start-up, and academia, he started Founders Pledge to make it absurdly easy for entrepreneurs to do good in their work and lives. Following high school, David joined Mortgage Capital Associates, one of the largest privately held mortgage banks in the U.S., where he launched the secondary marketing department. After that, he worked as a mortgage and investment banker at CS Financial in Beverly Hills. David also founded and ran a boutique real estate firm in Germany and was the general manager of Urban Motion. David is a graduate of UCLA and the University of Cambridge.
I think I'd enjoy having dinner with Socrates because he's the intellectual backbone of Western philosophy and also asks great questions. Although the case could be made that Plato would be the more interesting person to sit down with. So maybe a toss up.
It changed a couple of times throughout childhood, but I always harbored a secret desire to play basketball in the NBA. My more practical ideas were dentist, lawyer, and scientist.
Science Fiction would be the genre and Adrian Brody would be the actor.
Charlotte brings a wealth of experience to Founders Pledge from working in startups and scale ups as well as in top corporates. She began her career delivering analysis and strategy at Boston Consulting Group, and then went on to lead global teams in both Finance and People Operations at Google. Charlotte played various tactical and operational roles for Cloudreach as it launched and scaled, built her own property side-business, and consults and facilitated for Women Ahead. Charlotte is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of Cambridge.
Jeanne Baret because I am passionate about travel and exploring. Jeanne was the first female explorer ever to circumnavigate the Earth. Unfortunately she had to do it in the guise of a man, since the French Navy didn’t allow women on its ships. She for sure has some good stories to tell!
A show jumper
Action adventure / romance combo, and I'd flatter myself by being played by Kate Winslet
Carrie is a seasoned international development professional, having evaluated, researched and designed high impact aid projects for the last 12+ years. Most recently, she led the Impact and Innovation team at Save the Children UK, where she designed cutting edge education, health and humanitarian programmes which leveraged the unique assets and capabilities of philanthropists and business to achieve exceptional impact. Previously, she evaluated the effectiveness of a billion pound portfolio of aid projects for the UK government, and worked at a grassroots level with SPARC, a large Indian NGOs focused on amplifying the voice of the urban poor in urban development. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of British Columbia.
Virginia Woolf, for her incisive opinions as well as for some Bloomsbury Set gossip.
A bird!
Slacker comedy, in the style of Richard Linklater, but with Charlize Theron or Uma Thurman (as I'm quite tall)
Neil joined Founders Pledge in October 2015 from both technical and artistic careers. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and then moved to Los Angeles to work on the Space Shuttle Main Engine as a systems engineer. As NASA wrapped up the shuttle program, he successfully transitioned into a career as a freelance brass musician - teaching and performing across the greater Los Angeles area. Founders Pledge brought him to London in 2017 to support the team from the global HQ.
Robyn. Must include an evening out afterward. Her choice of venue(s). She's idiosyncratic. I like this.
Astronaut. Possibly some sort of robot. Space robot. Robonaut. Interstellar Exploratory Being.
Science Fiction. Visually, my character would be artificially generated based on an average of what people would expect me to look like given where I am psychologically at each point in my life. They'd match each version to the voice of the actor that is the closest visual match to that version, and then generate the lines artifically based on recordings of that actor.
Niki joined Founders Pledge in September 2018. Following a foundation course at drama school in Oxford, Niki spent eight years as a Stage and Production Manager on over 50 different productions. The adventure took Niki from pub theatres to the Edinburgh Festival, the London West End, the Royal Albert Hall, and a very big tent in Saudi Arabia.
Before joining FP, Niki worked at the Royal Horticultural Society as part of the Operations team for their flower shows. She worked across their portfolio of five major events including the Chelsea Flower Show.
Despite this, she is still incapable of keeping her house plants alive.
Tyrion Lannister. I'd love to pick his brains on strategy and battle plans over a glass of wine.
A horse. I was very definite about this.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The film would fall somewhere between a drama and a complete farce.
Matt joined Founders Pledge in early 2019 as People Director. Taking an untraditional route to People Operations, Matt started his career with Deloitte before moving into the Visual Effects industry, where he focused on building exceptional employee experiences, and then moved into the startup world. He strongly believes in the power of HR to unlock teams' potential and help great work happen.
Outside of work, Matt is a huge rugby fan and plays regularly (though isn't as fast as he used to be), an avid golfer and a musician. He also loves a good dad joke.
Derren Brown - I realise that by the end of the meal I will either be hypnotised or he will have stolen all of my possessions, but I reckon it would be worth it.
A musician. Or failing that, a Power Ranger.
It would be a hybrid of musical, comedy and boring documentary. Probably starring Mark Ruffalo.
After graduating with a BSc Geography from UCL, Crystal started her career in climate change research across Northern Scandinavia. She then spent three years in the city recruiting quant analysts in the finance world. Having reached her savings goals, she moved onto a publishing house in Athens as an editor and writer of children’s books.
It wasn’t until her return from Mediterranean shores that she found her mojo in major gift fundraising joining Christian Aid, Teach First and RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), where she was Head of Major Giving. It was at these incredible charities that she spent almost six years building close and fruitful relationships with HNI’s from across a range of sectors including finance and technology.
After completing a start-up programme, Crystal started a side hustle focussed on dating, as well as setting up a charity that supports young mothers in Sierra Leone.
Crystal has also worked as a silver service waitress at Tottenham’s stadium (don't tell Meera or Sach!), and the first match she ever saw was Arsenal at the Emirates stadium.
David Attenborough - because I can't think of anyone who has done more for raising awareness of nature's treasures and threats with the average person than our Dave! Besides, who could be better to compile your dream travel bucket list with?!
An 'explorer', which probably explains my dinner guest choice!
Has to be a romantic comedy (oh the long quest for love!) starring Nora Lum as me.
Ariane joined Founders Pledge in October 2021 as a Community Manager for the UK and Europe. Previously, she was on the founding team of an impact investing fintech startup, primarily working in BD. She is half French, half American and she studied at King's College, London. Outside work, Ariane loves yoga and meditation and you will find her on (or leading!) retreats.
Dr. Ambedkar because of his impact on the caste system in India through both political and spiritual engagement.
A cowgirl! I still love animals.
One with a strong female lead!
Based in San Francisco, Beethoven joined the Community team at Founders Pledge in December 2021. She came to the team with a dynamic background across the social impact sector. Prior to joining FP, Beethoven worked in health center operations at Planned Parenthood. This nonprofit role inspired her interest in supporting private-social sector collaboration to solve the world's most pressing problems. Beethoven grew up in the SF Bay Area and attended UC Berkeley, where she earned a B.S. in Society & Environment with a focus on Global Public Health. In her free time, she can be found downhill skiing, running, yoga-ing, or drinking yet another oat milk latte.
The absolutely incredible Belgian psychotherapist, Esther Perel. She holds such a wealth of knowledge related to what is at the core of our lives - relationships. I deeply admire her ability to articulate meaning about our relational selves in the most candid and thoughtful ways. I would love to sit down with her and talk for hours!
A pop star. This dream still reveals itself whenever a Taylor Swift song comes on.
Definitely a Hallmark-style, holiday-themed romantic comedy (the best kind of movie). I'd love to be played by Zooey Deschanel.
Nakita is a Community Manager based in San Francisco. Prior to joining Founders Pledge in May 2022, Nakita worked as a Senior Analyst at the Center for Effective Philanthropy, a non-profit organization that provides data and insights to help philanthropic funders improve their effectiveness. Previously, she's worked for various organizations in the social impact sector including the U.S. Peace Corps, Teach for America, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nakita holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin.
I would be honored to have dinner with Frida Kahlo. A remarkable woman, Frida expressed herself boldly, passionately, creatively, and unapologetically throughout her life. Her fantastical art pieces are as emotionally evocative and relevant today as they were when they were created.
A famous artist gallivanting the world for inspiration!
I would love to be in a romantic comedy with comedic icon Mindy Kaling as the lead.
I'm Ed, a Community Manager based in London. I grew up in Poole, Dorset and studied Social Policy at the University of Bristol. Straight out of University I completed the Charity Works graduate scheme, where I worked in a learning disabilities charity alongside studying behavioural analysis. My next role was on the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, where I worked on social programmes in a foundation Valencia. Since then I have spent three years in Government roles - working on animal welfare , on solar in the Renewable Electricity team, and on research and innovation.
Outside of work I enjoy walking and listening to various sorts of audio, staying (moderately) fit and making a general nuisance of myself
Alain de Botton, for his soothing ideas and voice.
Our family cat, Moggy. It came as a blow when I found out this wasn't going to pan out.
I would enjoy to watch James Stewart take the leading role in a 50's comedy drama.
Rachel is an experienced nonprofit leader whose areas of expertise include business development, fundraising, and philanthropic advising. Prior to joining Founders Pledge, she was the Director of Donor Engagement for Silicon Valley Community Foundation where she led a team responsible for partnering with donors to develop, refine, and implement their charitable goals and connect with high-impact nonprofits. Rachel has also overseen fundraising and board engagement in the arts and education sectors, including at Alonzo King LINES Ballet and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of Barnard College in New York.
Rachel enjoys trying new recipes, time in nature, ceramics, yoga, and the thrill of live performances.
My current pick would be the author Ann Patchett because of the way her writing taps into the truth and beauty of the human experience.
A wing walker - my dad and brother were both pilots.
I love Tina Fey and would be honored if she played me in whatever genre best blends her self-deprecating humor on 30 Rock with the lasting friendships and 90s nostalgia in her show Girls5eva.
After studying International Relations in Exeter and Shanghai, Emily began her career working for international development nonprofits in Ghana and Bangladesh. Emily went on to work for London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s economic development agency, initially as a foreign direct investment specialist and latterly as Head of Corporate Engagement. Having experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors prompted Emily to think about how these sectors can best collaborate to solve the world's biggest problems. To truly understand the different theories and models for combining profit and purpose, Emily completed an Executive MSc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics in 2020/21. This course led her to the work of Founders Pledge, and she joined as a Growth Lead in early 2022.
Outside of work, you’ll find Emily wild swimming, rollerblading, indulging in guilty pleasure musical theatre, and travelling as much as possible.
I’ve always been fascinated by the Tudors, so I’d love to meet Elizabeth I. She was a real female powerhouse, and probably has some good gossip to share too!
An eclectic mix of professions, from detective, to pub landlord, to lawyer, to Tudor. However, a theme of altruistic careers runs through my family, so I think I always knew I’d end up wanting to make the world a better place.
An adventure film all about a young woman who travels around Asia on her own, and the weird and wonderful people she meets on the way. I’d be played by someone very British - perhaps Claire Foy or Emily Blunt.
After spending over a decade in the non-profit sector, Lauren joined Founders Pledge in early 2022 as a Growth Lead covering the US. With roots based in traditional nonprofits such as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and March of Dimes, Lauren has been recognized as a leader and innovator to the traditional philanthropic process after graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in Sociology and Political Science. Taking a holistic approach to the fundraising experience, Lauren is passionate about building lasting donor relationships.
With a love for the outdoors almost as strong as her excitement for a good cocktail, Lauren enjoys traveling, reading, rooting on her favorite sports teams and exploring any city she can land her feet in.
Hands down, Michelle Obama - love how she owns her story and also her successes.
For many years, I wanted to wholeheartedly be a pediatrician. It wasn't until I took organic chemistry that I started to second guess this.
There is no doubt that it would be a Rom Comedy and I would love to be played by Maya Rudolph.
After graduating with degrees in Music Education (bassoon) and Theater performance, Erin Arnold started her career in Arts Administration and Music Business Management at Manhattan School of Music and RZO, LLC. At RZO, she worked with celebrity bands and musicians as well as their charitable foundations. From there she transitioned into startups and tech, supporting executives at Etsy and one of the founders of Blue Apron.
Outside of the office, Erin can still play all orchestral instruments up to a 6th grade level (some better than others). She’s written, directed and produced off- and off-off Broadway plays, and her voice can be heard in radio ads and video games, most recently the NHTSA/Ad Council campaign against Buzzed Driving. She lives in the NYC suburbs with her husband and their Chow Chow, Ted.
My ideal dinner party guests would be Oprah because I find her to be wise and inspiring (and I've had a subscription to "O" Magazine since way before it was cool--ok, it's still not cool, but I love her) and David Sedaris, because his stories entertain me endlessly.
A professional cheerleader or a singer, but ideally a singing cheerleader. (It should be noted that though I do sing, I never actually became a cheerleader at any level. I just really enjoyed pom-poms.)
My life would be best represented as a mockumentary, but with a narrator a la Ron Howard in Arrested Development, so that when I say something like "This will work out perfectly!" he'll interject with "It did not work out perfectly". Either Amy Adams or Isla Fisher would play me, as I demand a fellow ginger.
Dominic joined Founders Pledge in July 2021 after building a private philanthropy advisory in New York City.
Currently living in London, Dominic co-manages the Founders Pledge Global Health & Development Fund and advises EMEA members’ impact-focused giving. Previously, he delivered bespoke advice, built charitable solutions, and directed a cohort of international philanthropists to deploy over $100M to the charitable sector. Earlier in his career, Dominic learned from and lived with community development and NGO leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and South and Southeast Asia while working for nearly a decade on economic, education, health, and wellness improvements.
He is particularly interested in funding opportunities that mitigate existential risks, advocate for future generations, and eliminate unnecessary human and animal suffering.
Arthur Russel Wallace. He was one of the first modern, trained scientists to articulate the environmental impact of human activity and how essential cooperation is to our survival.
An explorer or Olympic swimmer.
Liev Schreiber in a Jodorowskian thriller.
Stacy joined Founders Pledge in June 2021 as Development Director. She brings more than 20 years of fundraising experience at international health, human rights and animal organisations, such as The Carter Center and Physicians for Human Rights. Before joining Founders Pledge, she was the Deputy Director of Fundraising for World Animal Protection, where she helped make animal welfare an issue of global importance, inseparable from the health of people and our planet. Stacy received an M.A. from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies.
David’s talk, Why we are so bad at doing good, inspired her to reflect on how she could use her fundraising skills to achieve more impact.
Outside of the office, Stacy enjoys hiking with her dog, baking, reading, and making quilts.
I would have as long a dinner as possible with my late mom, Caroline, and ask her all of the questions I neglected to ask when she was alive.
An emergency room doctor, and I still do!
It’s been said I was born too late, so the movie of my life would be a historical drama with Zooey Deschanel.
Based in San Francisco, Taylor joined the Fundraising team as our Major Gifts Manager in September 2021. Before joining Founders Pledge, Taylor was most recently fundraising as a Donor Relations Officer for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and has worked with varied philanthropic communities across the US. Inspired by the impact driven mission at Founders Pledge, she wanted to utilize her fundraising experience to support our work in solving the world's most pressing problems. Taylor attended Bryn Mawr College, and received her B.A. in History in 2017. Outside of the office, Taylor can be found hiking in the mountains, running along the California Coast, knitting sweaters, and playing with her two cats.
I would have dinner with my favorite writers and theorists, most notably Joan Dideon, Audre Lorde, and Judith Butler.
I wanted to be a doctor in outer-space! It would have never worked out, as I am very squeamish and fear the cosmos.
Most likely an independent comedy, probably played by a young Diane Keaton.
Guro joined Founders Pledge in April 2021. After getting her BA in International Development she worked for several NGOs in France, Belgium and Lebanon before completing her MSc in Security Risk Management with a focus on cyber security and humanitarian aid. Prior to joining Founders Pledge, she worked in Cyber Threat Intelligence for a consultancy where her interest in tech and passion for working towards making the world better lead her to find effective altruism and Founders Pledge.
She enjoys listening to podcasts, spending time exploring London with friends, and being in nature and around trees.
Margaret Atwood to talk about her fantastic dystopian fiction books.
I wanted to be a veterinarian as I loved animals!
Probably a mockumentary where I play myself commenting on random moments in my life.
Matt joined Founders Pledge as Research Director in July 2021. He is a social scientist by training and inclination, but his career has been pretty varied so far. He has led surveys of entrepreneurs in Egypt, written software to evaluate returns to education in the US, and given an interview in (broken) Spanish on drive-time radio in Medellín. He received his BA from NYU and his MA in quantitative social science from Columbia.
Outside of work, Matt likes to play guitar, draw cartoons, and learn languages.
Nancy Mitford, with full confidence that she'd be as funny in person as she was in print.
A theoretical physicist. I think I just liked the sound of it.
I'd play myself, naturally, in a mockumentary about "my" time as a champion skee-ball player trying to transition into electoral politics.
Johannes joined the research team in autumn 2019. He brings five years of experience working in a think tank advising decision makers on climate policy and has also researched the intersection between effective and feasible climate policies.
Johannes holds a M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a M.Sc. in Sociology with a focus on research methods from the Interuniversity Centre for Social Science Theory and Methodology from the University of Groningen.
In his free time, he enjoys local warming in the sauna, lake swimming, and nature walks.
Jean-Luc Picard, for his wisdom and integrity.
A Tiger-saving activist!
A Tragicomedy with surprising twists, starring Tom Hanks.
Christian Ruhl is an Applied Researcher based in Philadelphia. Before joining Founders Pledge in November 2021, Christian was the Global Order Program Manager at Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania's global affairs think tank, where he managed the research theme on “The Future of the Global Order: Power, Technology, and Governance.” Before that, Christian studied on a Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowship at the University of Cambridge for two master’s degrees, one in History and Philosophy of Science and one in International Relations and Politics, with dissertations on early modern submarines and Cold War nuclear strategy. Christian received his BA from Williams College in 2017.
Albert Barnes, the Philadelphia chemist and art collector. The Barnes Foundation is one of my favorite (and one of the weirdest) art museums in the world, and I think he was far ahead of his time.
An archaeologist! I actually spent 3 months working at an excavation of a Maya city in Guatemala
A mockumentary with Taika Waititi
I am an applied researcher. I studied applied math, economics and statistics in college, and have spent my career until now in finance, working at banks and hedge funds. I am very interested in effective altruism, reading broadly, and meditation.
I would have dinner with Tyler Cowen because it seems like he has read something interesting about any idea I might want to discuss, and has been to many of the places I might want to visit.
An architect, about as far down my list of ideal careers today as any I've considered.
A comedy starring Jason Schwartzman. I am a fan of Rushmore.
Rosie is an applied researcher, focusing on Global Health & Development. Before joining Founders Pledge in March 2022, she attained a PhD in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan; her published work is on the topic of cognitive evolution (and involved a lot of running around after monkeys). She has a masters degree in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, and her BA is in Biological Sciences, from Oxford University. She lives in London, where she is trying to fix her very wonky currently-transatlantic accent, and she enjoys anything outdoors.
Nerdy answer but probably WD Hamilton, who was a brilliant theoretical evolutionary biologist (‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins popularised his ideas). He was also an interesting character by all accounts; his obituary reads ‘he lived for ideas, was especially partial to unpopular ideas, and thought little of his own safety’.
A microbiologist! I read one of those ‘Horrible Science’ books, and got really obsessed with the idea that there’s this whole world that’s too small for us to see….
A comedy melodrama starring Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Tom joined Founders Pledge in September 2021 as a Junior Researcher. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Warwick, getting involved with the Effective Altruism university group. After graduating in July 2021, he interned with Rethink Priorities, researching various longtermist causes.
Outside of EA, he enjoys philosophy chats, maps and cats.
Nick Bostrom. I feel like he'd have some incredibly mind-bending insights, if only I could understand them.
At one stage I think I wanted to be a journalist, in the style of Louis Theroux?
A tragic comedy played by a young David Mitchell, in full Peep Show style
Luisa joined Founders Pledge as a Research Assistant in March 2021. She focuses on the climate work at Founders Pledge.
She has previously lived for half a year each in Colombia and India. Now she is studying physics at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
She has been involved in the climate space for the last eight years and has been working with different youth organisations, politicians and decision-makers. She is part of the effective altruism community.
If she is not working she is probably dancing around in her room.
I would choose Richard Feynman because he was a fascinating physicist. I would love to speak with him about his life, research and ask him all my physics questions.
A soccer player or an author of adventure stories. I really enjoyed writing and telling stories to my family when I was a child. I also rewrote the end of books where the main characters died or that I didn't like for another reason and wrote a happy end.
Adventure-love story and I would be played by the actress that played Hannah Abbott. I don't really watch movies but as a child I always wanted to be Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff in Harry Potter.
Violet joined Founders Pledge in June 2021 as a Research Assistant specializing in Climate Change. She has previously held research roles in nanotechnology, paleoecology, environmental justice, and charity evaluation.
Violet moved to Switzerland to pursue a masters in Climate Science and Economics at the University of Bern, and holds a bachelors in Physical Geography from UC Berkeley.
Violet grew up in Berkeley, CA. She is classically trained in ballet and uses her free time for baking or long distance thru-hikes like the Nüümü Poyo.
William Nordhaus. I'd like to know more about how he sees the role of models like DICE in addressing climate change. I'd also have some technical questions for him. Actually, maybe we should just plan a work meeting, not a dinner...
David Attenborough, or a ballerina.
A coming of age story where the protagonist moves from the US to Switzerland, with comedic elements arising from her intolerance of cold and poor command of Swiss German.
Casey leads the Philanthropic Services team, managing the Founders Pledge DAF program. She has the great pleasure of stewarding contributions and grants across the US and EMEA.
Most recently, Casey spent 12 years at Silicon Valley Community Foundation, where she led the Donor Engagement and Grants Administration teams. There, she worked alongside families and foundations to create strategic giving plans that helped to turn values into impactful philanthropy, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars deployed locally, nationally, and around the world.
Casey has a BA in Creative Arts and an MS in Justice Studies, both from San Jose State University. An eighth generation native of San Francisco, Casey has traded the fog for sunnier skies, and now makes her home along the San Francisco Peninsula, with her husband, son, and daughter.
Famous in local philanthropy circles, I'd have dinner with my late mentor and my daugther's namesake, Leigh Stilwell. I'd ask her all my burning questions, say all the things I never got to say, and thank her for all she gave to me and to the world.
I wanted to be a lawyer and then a judge. My father says as a child, I was always sought after to settle schoolyard squabbles!
A romantic comedy, played by Blake Lively. But I'd be too busy raising children and trolling my husband, Ryan Reynolds, on Instagram to make a movie. It would likely have to be a documentary... or cautionary tale!
Prior to making the move into the non-profit sector Jonathan worked for various industries in the UK, from online healthcare to Swiss investment banking. Subsequently, after completing an MPA at UCL, his focus changed to the charitable sector and he has since worked in grants administration & management for various organisations in London; on programmes promoting the UK creative industries, environmental conservation, community projects, healthcare and youth crime prevention.
He has a dog called Byron, a Hungarian Vizsla who keeps Jonathan very well exercised.
Neil Armstrong or any other human being who has ever been to space and come back in one piece. I have so many questions about what it is like up there... or is it down there?
A restaurant owner - when I was a kid I always wanted a single place where I could get all my favourite dishes (from ceviche to zabaione) without having to travel to a different city or country.
It would be a comedy where none of jokes are funny, starring Mary Louise Streep - people say she is a good actor.
Before joining Founders Pledge in 2021, Christopher worked on the Grants Team for Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Prior to moving to San Francisco, he worked for nonprofits in the greater Washington DC area as a fundraising and development professional. Christopher graduated from the University of Michigan with a Mater's degree in Social Work.
Lady Gaga because I'm dying to try her rosé bolognese!
I wanted to be a chef! Which is kind of funny because Postmates is currently my most used App on my phone.
It could be a comedy starring Jack Falahee--we're both from Michigan!
My background is predominately based within the grant sector, where I have managed grant projects in over 50 countries in areas including sexual health services, climate tech and mobile tech. I also had an amazing experience working for an NGO in Kenya where I worked on their program that support teenage mothers.
I live in a small town in Somerset with my partner and a very fluffy cat called Ozzy. In my free time, I love watching live music, going to the seaside and country side walks! I also appreciate a good sourdough pizza...
Michelle Obama! Because she's awesome!
I yo-yo'd between wanting to be the Prime minister or an International DJ
Definitely a children's animation film, where I am some woodland creature (maybe a hedgehog?) voiced by Beyonce and navigating my way through a forest.
Nate joined Founders Pledge as Philanthropic Services Operations Lead in January 2022, bringing 7+ years experience leading nonprofit operations for the largest community foundation in the world. Before that, he helped with research for a hotel and food service labor union. At university Nate studied international history and African Studies, and has always had a deep passion for labor rights and social justice. In his free time, he enjoy watching movies and playing dungeons and dragons with my friends. He is very excited to be at Founders Pledge to tackle the world's biggest challenges.
I would love to have dinner with the director David Lynch. I think his movies and art reveal an interesting understanding of narrative and reality that would be fascinating to explore.
For a while I wanted to be the President of the United States. After that, I lowered my sights to being a member of the foreign service before finding my place in nonprofits. I always knew I wanted to have a career focused on helping others.
A sci-fi epic, why not. And I would like to see what Daniel Day-Lewis would make of my life/character.
Sally joined Founders Pledge as Talent & People Partner in March 2021. She's responsible for finding brilliant, dedicated people to join the Founders Pledge team and then for making sure they're prepared for success once they join us! Sally's passionate about ensuring that candidates have a great experience with Founders Pledge and also, making sure that we understand internally, the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of recruitment. With a background in tech start-ups and scale-ups, in a variety of industries, she enjoys helping to build and improve processes. When she's not working, Sally can usually be found on the hockey pitch, or cycling around town.
Eric Cantona - what an interesting man!
Prime Minister, a hairdresser, a barrister, a doctor, a bank manager...?!
The genre would be drama - I somehow end up in some quite interesting situations! I'd like Maya Rudolph to play me - I just think she seems like a solid person with good energy.
Avi joined Founders Pledge in June 2021 as an Administrative Assistant. He studied English at Cambridge while doing some stage lighting design on the side, and was volunteering in admin in various LGBTQ+ charities before joining the Founders Pledge team.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Esme joined Founders Pledge in April 2022 as Head of Programmes and Events. Prior to this, she spent 7 years working within UK cultural institutions, specialising in major gifts fundraising, donor stewardship and events. Motivated by Founders Pledge' mission to empower entrepreneurs to do the most good, she is passionate about creating inspiring, engaging experiences that alter perspective.
Esme originally trained as an actor and is still a lover of theatre and film (although she's very happy to remain an audience member!). She also enjoys pilates, italian food and anything written or produced by Jesse Armstrong.
Hungarian-Canadian doctor and author Gabor Maté. I think one dinner with him would be enough for some important life lessons! I love how he bridges the gap between science and spirituality.
Ballet dancer!
A slightly surreal indie coming-of-age, like something directed by Miranda July. I'd probably be played by Margaret Qualley.
Lara joined Founders Pledge in January 2022 as an Event Manager. Lara studied International Relations at the University of Wollongong in Australia before moving over to the UK in 2018. She began her events experience interning at Human Rights Watch and has spent the last three years at the charity Impetus delivering their flagship fundraising events.
Sophia Bush! Teenage me would be starstruck and adult me would be impressed by her political activism.
A vet, I have always adored animals!
A chaotic comedy starring a brunette Isla Fisher
Victoria joined Founders Pledge as Communications Lead in January 2022. Prior to this, she managed comms for the British Council, the UK’s cultural relations organisation. She is passionate about storytelling, wordsmithery, and helping brands / organisations to get their voices heard in a noisy world!
Before starting her career in comms, which began with stints at two leading PR agencies in London, Victoria graduated with a First-Class degree in History from the University of Cambridge.
Outside her professional life, you can find Victoria at the theatre, reading, cooking, watching football, on her travels or keeping up-to-date with the latest fashion trends.
A toss up between Elizabeth I and Jane Austen...I'd be in awe and have so many questions.
For a long time I wanted to be a doctor, but my love for the humanities soon took over...!
A coming-of-age romcom, with Emma Stone or Saoirse Ronan as lead.
Ashley joined Founders Pledge in the summer of 2018, in a fortuitous confluence of her interests in philanthropy and startups. In a past life, she was an early employee at a tech startup,managing the community and communications. Before that, she worked in Tanzania with a sustainable development non-profit and launched a small food business with a group of women in her village.
Ashley earned a BA from St. John’s College, where she studied epistemology and the art of asking questions.
For the love of rivalry, she is now a Tottenham fan - sorry Meera & Sach!
Leonardo da Vinci, because I want to get inside his brain. I would eat and listen, and have him teach me about all the things. There's no time limit on this dinner, is there?
An explorer, or a discoverer. Someone like Marie Curie, or a reporter for National Geographic.
A mockumentary. I'd be played by a Roomba with googly eyes, or Frances McDormand a la Fargo.
Having spent the majority of her working life in fast-based startups building online products in various domains (EdTech, FinTech and UGC), Ellen joined Founders Pledge in June 2021 as Product Director to enhance the digital channels of Founders Pledge.
Ellen holds a MA degree from the University of Glasgow, and MPhil from the University of Cambridge. Originally from Estonia, she's now living in Scotland and is constantly on the look out for better waterproofs.
Donald Barthelme, but I’d worry that I’d re-emerge in one of his short stories as a profoundly unlikeable character. Meeting your heroes is such a gamble.
Early on I wanted to be a lawyer or a psychologist. Later, I started thinking about civil service and diplomacy. Briefly considered quitting academia and retraining as a playwright or actress. So naturally I ended up in tech!
Magical realism à la The Truman Show, and I’d love to be played by Maggie Smith.
Monica joined Founders Pledge in April 2021 as a Product Manager. Prior to joining Founders Pledge, Monica worked for 3 years at a tech startup called Gousto, seeding new tech products as well as maturing existing ones, and for 4 years in consulting delivering technology and strategy to large corporations. Monica graduated with a bachelor of Health Science from the University of Western and a masters in Management of Innovation from the University of Toronto.
Neil Armstrong, so he can answer all of my questions about space travel.
Either a teacher or a figure skater.
An adventure / comedy starring Cameron Diaz.
Alessandra joined Founders Pledge in September 2018. She’s a very (very) proud Venezuelan, and lived in Colombia for six years before moving to London. After getting her BA in International Relations she worked at a nonprofit advising high-net-worth individuals on more effective giving practices and seeking grants for projects in education. She also partook in a brief but fascinating stint in the beekeeping industry.
Alessandra is a house plant and US politics aficionado – she is not, however, an Arsenal or Maduro fan.
Marianne Lake because she's unapologetically the woman she wants to be.
The President of Venezuela.
Satire – Brie Larson or Matthew McConaughey (hopefully?).
I am a UI / UX Designer working on the Founders Pledge members app and website. I previously worked as a Product Designer at a sustainability content agency and a Service Designer at a public sector consultancy.
I'm going to go with Hercule Poirot because I visited his apartment building yesterday and because something interesting is bound to happen.
Literally a UX / UI designer - though no-one really said 'UX' yet back then. Had a bit of a detour but I got there eventually.
Ryan Gosling could play another mysterious brooding character in a cool jacket only he sits at a desk all day designing apps.
Angeline joined Founders Pledge as Financial Controller in Feb 2021. Prior to joining FP, she was working for Mind as a Finance Business Partner. Qualifications & Education: BA General & Post Grad. Certificate in Education (University of Zimbabwe), Diploma of Chartered Institute of Secretaries & Administrators (ICSA) & a Fellow ACCA member. Outside of work she loves listening to music as this is quite a refreshing way of ending my work day. Food wise, she has recently developed a craving for Indian curry dishes and has given herself a target of preparing at least one new dish every month. Her covid-style weekend routine is usually focused on her well being and home based fitness training and occasional long walks, otherwise it would be travelling.
William Wilberforce, for spearheading one of the greatest, most heroic and successful human rights campaign to end slavery and the slave trade.
No clearly defined career path until I was in the latter stages of my secondary education. Then, my dream was to work in the bank because I believed everyone who worked in the bank is rich. So no idea of what job I would do but just working in the bank would be enough, so I thought.
I love true story movies because you learn about real stuff from real people's experiences. The best actress to play me would be Danai Jekesa Gurira, the Zimbabwean-American actress, who has featured in a number of films such as the Black Panther. Though younger than me, I feel her Zimbabwean roots and her own personal journey would perfectly mirror mine.
Kris joined the finance team in December 2021.She brings many years of experience in various finance and accounting roles from Charity, Private and Public sectors. She worked as an Accountant for a total of 4 years in the Food and Drug Administration Philippines - Mindanao East Cluster and at the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office - Davao Occidental. She also has wealthy experience in the banking industry as an Internal Auditor for 3 years. Kris is a graduate of Cor Jesu College College in the Philippines and holds a degree of BS in Accountancy.
She loves to travel and now enjoys exploring the English countryside with her husband.
I'm in love with The Pride and Prejudice so it would probably be Jane Austen.
An iconic History teacher.
A romcom with a vintage touch portrayed by the lovely Brooke Shields set in an English or Irish countryside.
Harry joined Founders Pledge as the Tech Lead in September 2022, bringing 15+ years experience leading award winning software teams, as well as previously managing the Rebate and Retrospective invoicing for the UK’s largest distributor of Household and Health and Beauty products. At university Harry studied Economics and was also a member of the American Football team, going on to represent England in the under 21 team.
In his free time he enjoys camping, running, cycling, spending time with his young family and cooking pizzas in his wood fired pizza oven.
He is very excited to be at Founders Pledge to help tackle the world's biggest challenges.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes. He is often described as the "Worlds greatest living explorer" and I have been captivated by books and stories about his expeditions around the globe.
I honestly don't think there was one single career that I was focused on when I was young. I have always wanted to run my own BBQ smoke house though!
It would have to be in a post-apocalyptic or dystopian sci-fi setting and probably involve some form of zombies as they are my favourites!
Played by Denzel Washington as he is my favourite actor.
Edward joined Founders Pledge in 2020 to support the tech team. With his background of web development, web development and more web development, he supports the tech team in building software tools to enable Founders Pledge to make real world changes. In his free time he enjoys teaching, dancing, woodworking and interactive art.
Chrysippus of Soli. Deep thinker, great teacher, still knew how to party.
Airship pilot.
Space opera, Rowan Atkinson
I'm a Software Developer formally trained in Biology. I really enjoy hanging out with my girlfriend and dog, reading and dancing (Lindy Hop!)
I think I would feel too shy meeting most "famous" people, but I think I would feel comfortable around Hamilton Morris. :)
My mom tells me I wanted to be a a robber or a police officer. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Woody Allen-like comedy, starring Timothée Chalamet.
George joined Founder's Pledge in August of 2022. With his bachelor's studying Creative Writing and Film Studies from the University of Hull, George had once hoped to become a writer, but instead found his comfort working within the technical space. A long-term fan of computers (having built his first at age 11), he found the transition from the creative to the professional a relatively natural one - although he maintains his creative spirit through a blend of writing, singing, and photography.
Probably Walt Disney - he seems so authentic about himself in interviews, and seems like he'd be a fantastic conversationalist. I also deeply admire his sense of creativity and imagination.
I wanted to be a pizza delivery driver. I thought it meant you'd get free pizza whenever you liked.
It would be a biopic about travelling and eating food. I hope Jason Mamoa would be available to get involved in the project.
Bryan is a dog. He has been with Founders Pledge since day one. He often thinks he's in charge and even though he's not, no one tells him otherwise. In his free time he likes to collect sticks and play fetch. He is based in London.
Did someone say dinner?
A good boy!
A David Attenborough documentary starring myself!
Bellatrix (Trixie for short) joined Founders Pledge in February 2019. She has a strong background in tummy rubs and attempting to lick everyone's ears. Once described as problematically cute, Trixie can often be found curled up on the office beanbag or being fought over by serious grown ups. She's not really a football fan, though is a big fan of balls generally.
Sunny and Bo Obama. The real driving force behind the former President.
A sunglass-wearing Dogue De Bordeaux (google it).
Emma Stone in an action film with a romantic twist.
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Trustees
Sabrina is a Silicon Valley native who's lived in Peru, Haiti and Jordan.
Sabrina has spent more than ten years working in international and domestic aid and development, and has led programmatic initiatives for large-scale international humanitarian aid organizations. She has significant experience in the Global South as an international humanitarian crisis responder and proven experience implementing and delivering upon high growth revenue strategies.
She holds a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco, a Bachelor’s in Political Science from University of California San Diego and has been named the Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Blaine founded Student Brands as a college freshman in 1999 to help students share course notes and research online. He bootstrapped the company for nearly 18 years and Barnes and Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) acquired it for $58.5mm in August 2017. He also founded Solve in 2016, a service that helped people quickly get through immigration and customs when traveling overseas. Solve was in Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 batch and it was acquired by Blacklane later that year. Blaine is now focused on acquiring and building bootstrapped companies and investing in startups and funds in the US and Asia.
In the nonprofit world, Blaine is a member of the board of directors of Liberty in North Korea, the Wende Museum of the Cold War, and the Amani Project. He’s an active supporter of the Sundance Institute and invests in documentaries and scripted films.
Neil is the founder of NEON Adventures, an investment vehicle with activities in finance, property, lifestyle and philanthropy. He is also a principle investor in the Forward Internet Group, which creates, acquires and invests in web businesses across a variety of industries and territories. Neil is committed to giving back through the Forward Foundation, helping exceptional charities and social enterprises transform young lives.
Andy is a Partner with SoftTech VC, one of the most active Bay Area seed stage investors. Prior to joining SoftTech in 2015, Andy was co-founder and EVP of London and San Francisco-based Huddle, a leading enterprise SaaS content collaboration company.
Andy has been an active angel investor since 2010 and built a portfolio covering 35+ pre-seed and seed stage investments, mostly in the B2B space but also covering e-commerce, marketplaces and mobile. His companies include innovative SaaS businesses like Apiary, tray.io, Bugsnag, Rolepoint, Intercom, Import.io, Pipedrive, and Buffer, as well as retail plays including Postmates, Secret Escapes, and Zesty.
Andy was awarded an OBE in the 2015 Queen’s birthday honours list for services to UK business and technology leadership.
Dafna was founding CEO and co-founder of Founders For Good (now Founders Pledge). She is now a trustee of the charity, continuing to dramatically impact the way in which entrepreneurs give back. Dafna is also a trustee of The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, a board member of Intelligence Squared, and has supported organisations including The Royal Foundation and The Good Solutions Group. Before founding Founders for Good, she launched Excite in Europe, co-founded eos Ventures and spent seven years as a Operating Partner at Eden McCallum, a disruptor in strategy consulting. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Business School, and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
Rob is CEO of Founders Intelligence, the entrepreneur-powered consultancy within Founders Forum. He helps corporate clients to participate in the new ideas, technologies, consumer behaviours and business models pioneered by the start-up community. His clients include Facebook, ITV, BP, Sky, Unilever, Lloyds Banking Group and Diageo. Prior to starting FI, Rob was at the data visualisation start-up Bime, which sold to Zendesk, and in PwC's strategy team.
Luke studied medicine at Oxford University, subsequently switched to a career in finance and held a number of senior management positions at Natwest and Merrill Lynch, and became a senior partner at fund management firm Brevan Howard. He now engages full time with his philanthropic activities in parallel with pursuing his business interests. He is a keen supporter of many organisations associated with Effective Altruism. Luke has sponsored many health care initiatives in developing countries, as well as organisations safeguarding future generations. He is based in London.
Vikrant Bhargava is the Managing Partner and founder of Veddis, a multi-asset investment company. He was previously co-founder and Marketing Director of PartyGaming Plc, where he spearheaded the company's growth from a start-up in 2000 to a FTSE 100 business at its IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2005.
After stepping down from PartyGaming, Vikrant has been an active investor and mentor to technology start-ups, while also building a geographically diverse, real estate investment business at Veddis.
In addition to supporting a number of high impact initiatives, via the Veddis Foundation in the UK and India, Vikrant is passionate about transforming high school children’s relationship with STEM. In 2018, he founded FIRST UK (FIRSTUK.org), a high growth organisation with an innovative approach to equip the next generation with the technical knowledge and core life skills needed to tackle tomorrow's challenges.
He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1994) and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (1996).
Advisors
Andreas Haug is co-founder and Managing Partner of Headline, a global venture capital company with $4b+ under management. Andreas Haug has started several digital businesses as an entrepreneur and has invested in startups as a business angel for more than 20 years.
Damian Kimmelman is the Founder and CEO of DueDil, the London-based fintech business whose vision is to organise the world’s private company information and which was recently listed among Wired magazine’s Hottest Startups in Europe. Before launching DueDil, Damian set up two other businesses: a peer-to-peer Chinese gaming platform and a digital agency. In June this year, he was named “International Entrepreneur of the Year” by Tech City News.
Moran Cerf is a neuroscientist and business professor at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience programme at Northwestern university. In his work, Moran helps individuals and businesses harness the current knowledge of the brain to improve thinking and understanding of customers and business decisions. Moran is the beneficiary of several awards and grants for his work, including the Instructional Improvement Grant, and the prestigious Presidential Scholarship for Excellence, and was recently named one of the "40 Leading professors below 40". Currently, Moran is on the board of a number of neuro-tech companies (Nervanix, VR Americas, Best Fit), the Co-founder of ThinkAlike, and also the founder of B-Cube which applies neuroscience to help society.
Mustafa Suleyman was co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Deepmind Technologies, a leading AI company, which was bought by Google in 2014 in their largest European acquisition to date. Mustafa is now Head of Applied AI at Google DeepMind and is responsible for integrating the technology across a wide range of Google products. Previously, Mustafa dropped out of Oxford University to help launch a telephone counseling service, building it to become one the largest mental health support services of its kind in the UK. As a skilled negotiator and facilitator, Mustafa has worked all over the world for a wide range of clients such as the UN, the Dutch government and WWF.
Jaan is a founding engineer of Skype and Kazaa. He is Co-Founder of the Cambridge Centre for Existential Risk, Future of Life Institute, and philanthropically supports other existential risk research organizations. He is also a partner at Ambient Sound Investments, an active angel investor, and has served on the Estonian President's Academic Advisory Board.
Alex was part of the early team at Founders Intelligence, a boutique growth consulting business that was seeded within the Founders Forum community. In 2017, Alex became the Founding Partner of the Sao Paulo office, where he led the team's growth into the LATAM region. In 2021 Founders Intelligence was acquired by Accenture, and today Alex is a Director in the Global Innovation practice. Outside of consulting, Alex is a member of the Founders Pledge community and has collaborated on projects with the Founders Pledge team, including pro bono work with the NSPCC, the UKs leading children's charity. Interest areas include the intersection of climate tech and blockchain.
Alexandre is a qualified Swiss lawyer. After being admitted to the bar in Switzerland in 1997, Alexandre qualified as a Swiss Certified Tax Expert in 2002 and went on to work for different financial services companies and prestigious law firms. In 2011, he became Chief Executive Officer of the Rhone Group, a Swiss company which provides clients with sophisticated financial planning advice and support.
Mirit is a young female powerhouse. She has more than a decade of experience in business and commercial strategy in the finance, fintech and legal industries. Most recently, she acted as Head of Growth and Customer Sucess at a VC backed fintech startup, DueDil, and was part of the extended leadership team.
Prior to DueDil, Mirit held various commercial roles at Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk in both Israel and London. She is currently based in New York City and advising nonprofits primarily supporting women empowerment initiatives and is looking to make a significant impact on women’s lives everywhere.
She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Economics from Tel Aviv University, a Masters in Business Administration, and she is a qualified lawyer in the state of New York.
Previously Philip looked after growth across Europe at Founders Pledge. He's now at Silicon Valley Bank where he looks as Director of Emerging Managers across Europe developing close relationships with top investors.
Philip has a breadth of experience and networks across the early-stage community. Spending time across the UK and New York, Philip has been a company founder as well as establishing 10X10, a community of leading Black entrepreneurs, game-changers, and investors in the industry. In his spare time, he hosts “Startup HandMeDowns” podcast, where he has interviewed over 100 founders, investors, and thought leaders to share their entrepreneurial experiences.