Through Founders Pledge, you commit to donating at least 2% of your personal proceeds upon exit to charity.
Join our global community of forward-thinking entrepreneurs who've all committed to do good by pledging to support the social causes and charities they’re most passionate about.
"It's a real privilege to be participating in an initiative that focuses founders' minds on giving back and is helping to grow a culture of philanthropy in the UK's tech ecosystem."
Sarah is the co-founder and COO of video ad tech company Unruly, named as the UK’s #2 Fastest Growing Tech Company (Deloitte, 2012), where she ensures the company delivers the most awesome social video campaigns on the planet.
Unruly is the leading programmatic platform for social video advertising, powered by UnrulyX, the first supply side platform (SSP) for mobile video to offer scaled delivery of native ad formats. Unruly has 15 offices, employs 200 people and is backed by Amadeus Capital Partners, Van den Ende & Deitmers and Business Growth Fund.
Sarah was voted one of 15 Women to Watch in Tech by Inc., one of Europe’s Inspiring Fifty, #4 in Digital Spy's Top 10 Women in Tech, and one of 10 London-Based Entrepreneurs to Watch by Forbes. She is an associate lecturer at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches a course in Mash-Ups, Memes and LOLitics: Online Video Culture and the Screen Media Revolution.
"I made the Founders Pledge because I believe it is the right thing to do. We are fortunate to be in this dynamic sector, and have a responsibility to give back. The pledge allows the founder community to leverage the expertise of both Founders Forum For Good and Pictet to do just that, amplifying the impact we can have together."
Brent Hoberman is co-founder of Made.com and SmartUp.io, a direct-from-factory consumer crowd-sourced homewares retailer in the UK and business in gamified mobile learning aimed at entrepreneurs.
Brent is a serial entrepreneur, having also previously co-founded lastminute.com [http://www.lastminute.com/] in 1998, taking the company to profit and gross bookings of over $2bn. Lastminute.com was sold to Sabre for $1.1bn in 2005. He also co-founded Founders Forum [http://www.ff.co/] in 2006, a series global events in London, LA, NYC, Istanbul, Hong Kong and Shanghai for leading tech entrepreneurs.
Brent also sits on the advisory board for the UK Government Digital Advisory Board, is Non-Executive Board Director of Guardian Media Group, TalkTalk PLC & Shazam and acts as the Prime Minister’s Business Trade Ambassador. Brent was awarded a CBE in 2015.
"The Founders Pledge is a revolutionary approach to early stage philanthropy that allows founders of tech companies to “give back” at a point where they may be worth a lot on paper but very little (if anything!) in cash. Hopefully, the pledge will send a message to the global tech community that tech businesses may not be the biggest contributors to not-for-profit organisations and NGOs today, but they will be in the future and that we are materially committed to the values of corporate social responsibility."
José Neves is founder and CEO of Farfetch, a global community of over 300 fashion boutiques offering an inspirational shopping experience to fashion-forward consumers.
In creating Farfetch, José brought together his interests and experience in fashion, technology, design, wholesale and retail to create a business that gives boutiques the opportunity to compete with the leaders of fashion e-commerce. Farfetch now features more that 300 boutiques, has customers in over 180 countries and receives an average of 9 million hits monthly.
José has received numerous accolades, including The Business of Fashion’s 500 People Shaping the Fashion Industry in 2013, Ernst & Young’s 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year and Vogue’s DirectorsOf.COM Top Entrepreneur in 2011.
"Our duty, and my desire, is to open doors for others."
Alex Depledge is the co-founder & CEO of Hassle.com, a London based start-up that makes it easy for anyone to book a pre-vetted cleaner online. Originally from the North of England, Alex started a career in US Politics in Chicago before returning to the UK as a management consultant at Accenture. Alex made the leap into entrepreneurship in 2012 & is passionate about the UK's tech scene. In 2014 TechCity Insider named Alex ‘Entrepreneur of the Year' following on the heels of her appearance on the ‘Silicon Valley Comes to the UK Scale-up Top 100’ - a list highlighting British entrepreneurs expected to lead their firms to £100m in revenue in three to five years. She is now fully focused on making Hassle the best it can be & expanding into major cities in the UK & Europe.
"As a company founder, both time and money can be in short supply. The Founders Pledge helps entrepreurs get involved with charities in a meaningful way, even before they might have the material resources to do so."
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.
In March 2014, DueDil completed a $17m Series B financing round, supported by Oak Investment Partners, Notion Capital and Passion Capital and has raised $22m since April 2013.
Before launching DueDil, Damian set up two other businesses: a peer-to-peer Chinese gaming platform and a digital agency whose clients included the BBC, Virgin and General Motors.
In June 2015, he was named “International Entrepreneur of the Year” by Tech City News.
"I made my Founder's Pledge because I want to help promote awareness of the responsibility of founders and entrepreneurs to give where there is need, recognising the tremendous opportunities given to us."
As co-founder and CTO of SwiftKey, Ben Medlock invented the intelligent keyboard for smartphones and tablets that has transformed typing on touchscreens. The company’s mission is to make it easy for everyone to create and communicate on mobile.
SwiftKey is best known for its smart typing technology which learns from each user to accurately autocorrect and predict their most-likely next word, and features on more than 250 million devices to date. SwiftKey Keyboard for Android is used by millions around the world and recently went free on Google Play after two years as the global best-selling paid app. SwiftKey Keyboard for iPhone and iPad launched in September 2014, following the success of iOS note-taking app SwiftKey Note.
SwiftKey has been named the No 1 hottest startup in London by Wired magazine, ranked top 5 in Fast Company’s list of the most innovative productivity companies in the world and has won a clutch of awards for its innovative products and workplace.
Ben has a First Class degree in Computer Science from Durham University and a PhD in Natural Language and Information Processing from the University of Cambridge.
"After talking to David (Goldberg) about Founders Pledge, I came away thinking just one thing: why would anyone not do this? It's kind of a no-brainer."
David Klein is CEO and Co-Founder of CommonBond, a leading fintech company that uses data and technology to lower the cost of student loans. Since launching in 2012, CommonBond has raised over $1 billion across equity and debt, and is the first and only company in finance with a 1-for-1 social mission: for every loan funded on CommonBond's platform, the company funds the education of a student in need in partnership with Pencils of Promise. A recognized authority on fintech and student debt, David's perspectives have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, TechCrunch, Inc. and more. He was featured on the Crain's New York 40 Under 40 list in 2016.
Before starting CommonBond, David worked in consumer finance at American Express, where he led a $250M annual business. He started his professional career at McKinsey & Company, where he advised clients in the financial services industry. David graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Politics, Economics and International Business, and attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. David is also a former Board Member of the Bronx Charter School for the Arts in New York.
"I don't see the Founders Pledge as a tick box on my conscience, but rather a vehicle to start making a difference with early on in my life. Usually the focus in any pledge is how much people are giving, where with the Founders Pledge the focus is on causes and what social good you as a pledgor -- and as part of a community of pledgors -- can drive. This new approach to giving back has been very refreshing indeed."
Ambarish Mitra is one of the pioneers of augmented reality. Rish started his tech career in 1997 as a high school drop-out entrepreneur on a noble topic of Women Empowerment in India, which successfully IPO'd in 2000. Today Rish is the CEO & co-founder of Blippar, the leading visual browser & fastest growing augmented reality player. Under his direction, Blippar has grown from groundbreaking idea to an industry leader with 250+ employees, 10 offices & 50million+ users. With a vision to create the ultimate physical world browser, Ambarish, has been widely recognized for his unconventional business thinking & people-driven philosophical approach to management.
"Talent is distributed equally but opportunity is not. I've been the very fortunate recipient of thoughtful guidance, wisdom, and support through my life -- and it is my hope to provide enduring contributions to communities with a giving focus on education and entrepreneurship. We must re-imagine our world and build a better future. Founders Pledge aligns with my core values and I'm proud to make a public pledge of support for important causes. "
Nicolas has a love for the outdoors and traveling; he attributes much of his entrepreneurial insight to his personal journeys around the world. He holds degrees in Business with an emphasis in Leadership Studies and International Political Economy. He’s taught English and conducted poverty reduction assessments in rural India prior to spending the past decade growing startups.
A life long technologist and serial entrepreneur, he’s trilingual, and has a deep passion for positive digital disruption. He was the Second Employee and Partner at PipelineDeals where he focused on product development and management. In 2013 he co-founded Blockchain. Winner of the 2015 European Digital Leader award for his inspiring and innovative contribution to initiate progress in the digital world, Nicolas accumulated over 350K miles last year doing FinTech advocacy, keynoting conferences, and attending grass roots meet ups across the Europe and around the world. His media appearances include the NYT, NPR, WSJ, Financial Times, Wired, Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNN, CNBC, TechCrunch, CNET, ZDNET, Marketwatch and many more. Follow Nicolas on Twitter at @niccary.
"It is my privilege to be committing a share of my exit proceeds to causes that I feel strongly about. My current focus is on building MOVE Guides - helping 21st century organisations move people talent worldwide to solve global challenges - and creating value for our employees and shareholders. I am grateful that the Founders Pledge provides a platform to give back at exit, so I can now focus on leading MOVE Guides to success, and then contributing to the development and success of others through charitable donations."
Brynne Herbert is the founder & CEO of MOVE Guides. Under her leadership, MOVE Guides has grown from an idea to an award winning start-up working with the world’s largest companies & supporting moves across 6 continents. Brynne is part of London’s Tech City Insider 100 & the SV2UK 100 (CEOs of 100 top UK tech companies), & was nominated to the 2015 Google Award for Women in Digital. She is also a recognized subject matter expert on talent mobility, entrepreneurship & gender equality, & a registered Global Mobility Specialist with Worldwide ERC. Brynne has lived in the US, EMEA & APAC, & speaks 5 languages. Prior to starting MOVE Guides she worked as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers & Standard Chartered.
"I am very pleased to support such a great effort and I hope we can succeed in persuading all tech founders to take the Founders Pledge."
Mustafa Suleyman co-founded & was Chief Product Officer of DeepMind Technologies, Europe's 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 where he is responsible for deploying DeepMind’s cutting-edge machine learning tools across a wide range of Google products as well as in new sectors outside of Google, including healthcare and energy.
At 19 he dropped out of Oxford University to help set up a telephone counselling service, building it to become one of the largest mental health support services of its kind in the UK. He then worked as a policy officer for the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, where he advised on human rights and counterterrorism. Mustafa went on to help start Reos Partners, a boutique conflict resolution consultancy with eight offices across four continents specializing in designing and facilitating large scale multi-stakeholder ‘Change-Labs’ aimed at navigating complex problems. As a skilled negotiator and facilitator Mustafa has worked all over the world for a wide range of clients such as the UNDP, UNFCCC, The Dutch Government and WWF.
"Founders Pledge is based around using capitalism to make things a bit better. The idea that I could use whatever personal wealth that I might accrue from this to also do good is what I want to do with my life."
Josh Tetrick is the Founder and CEO of Hampton Creek. Josh founded Hampton Creek in 2011 and has built the company around this question: "What would it look like if we started over in food?" Best known as the maker of Just Mayo, Hampton Creek is innovating to bring healthy, sustainable, and affordable food to everyone, everywhere. Josh's company was selected by Bill Gates as one of three companies shaping the future of food. Josh led Hampton Creek to be named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50 List for 2015, to Fast Company’s lists for most the innovative companies in food and social good for 2015, and to the 2015 TIME 100 New Scientific Discoveries. The World Economic Forum announced Hampton Creek as a top Technology Pioneer in 2015. Josh was named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 35 Under 35 entrepreneurs and Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40. Prior to founding Hampton Creek, Josh led a United Nations business initiative in Kenya, worked for both former President Clinton and the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and taught street children as a Fulbright Scholar in Nigeria and South Africa.
Alexander Asseily is the founder and Executive Chairman of London based semantic web start-up State. Prior to State Alexander was the founding CEO of Jawbone, the largest venture capital-backed consumer electronics company in the world, where he served as Executive Chairman until 2015. Jawbone is the industry leader in mobile lifestyle products including the award winning ICON wireless headsets, JAMBOX speakers, and UP wellness solutions.
Alexander also serves as the Chairman of Chiaro, a London-based wearable technology startup, whose first product Elvie is a smart pelvic floor muscle exercise tracker for women.
Alexander grew up in Beirut and London before receiving his BSc & MSc in Engineering Design from Stanford University.
"I believe that every entrepreneur, regardless of the stage of their business should be able to help make a difference. The Founders Pledge makes that possible."
Andy McLoughlin is co-founder of Huddle, the enterprise cloud collaboration company.
Huddle is now used by more than 100,000 organisations worldwide and has raised more than $40M in venture funding from leading investors including Matrix Partners, Jafco Ventures, DAG Capital, In-Q-Tel (colloquially known as 'the venture arm of the CIA'), Eden Ventures, and WebEx founder Subrah Iyar.
A firm favourite with government organisations, Huddle works with 80% of central UK government departments, including the Cabinet Office and Crown Prosecution Service. Globally recognized brands such as SEGA, P&G, Kia Motors and Unilever also use Huddle to share and work on content with teams inside and outside of their organisations.
Based in San Francisco, Andy manages Huddle’s growing U.S. presence and is responsible for corporate development and product strategy. Andy is also an active early-stage angel investor, working with amazing companies like Pipedrive, Postmates, Buffer, Secret Escapes, Rolepoint, Intercom and Apiary.
"At ustwo our mission is to make a positive and measurable difference to the world through product development. Taking the Founders Pledge was a no brainer in terms of accelerating that mission. The pledge allows me to make a positive and measurable difference to the causes close to my heart."
Matt Miller is co-founder of ustwo, a digital product studio with offices in London, New York, Malmö & Sydney. Ustwo pushes the frontiers of digital product design to create some of the world’s best digital experiences & products. Ustwo is recognized for producing industry-changing technology. One of it’s biggest successes was the game ‘Monument Valley’ that won the Apple Design Award 2014, Apple Game of the Year 2014, 2 BAFTAs & 3 GDCs. In 2014, Matt also co-founded ustwo’s first joint venture, DICE, a music discovery & ticketing app. Matt’s true passion is inspiring & bringing people together; he brings unrivalled energy to his companies & has created a unique working culture focused on collaboration.
Designed for entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey, Founders Pledge is a perfect solution even if your exit is quite a ways off. Since our launch in June 2015, we’ve grown into a global community that spans 21 countries and more than 500 members, all of whom have pledged at least 2% of their exit proceeds.
And don’t worry - if you don’t exit, there’s no obligation. For now it’s just a simple commitment to do good.
Our signing process is straight forward and can be completed in a few mins online.
You can select and change your charities at any point - even after you pledge.
You’re making a commitment to donate a small percentage of your personal proceeds.
The pledge isn’t tied to company equity and doesn’t require board or investor approval.
When you exit, the full amount of your donation goes to the charities of your choice.
We don’t charge any fees or commissions and funds can be deployed anywhere in the world.
Engaging in philanthropy following a successful exit is one way a founder can recognise the good fortune inherent in success and 'give something back'.
I learned about Founders Pledge a year or so before my own exit, and quickly saw the value in both encouraging founders to commit to giving, and also providing a framework to facilitate the effective use of donations.
What I most liked about the process was that I was locked in. Sounds daft or even slightly scary, I know, but how many times do you think ‘oh I am totally going to do that’ and then it somehow falls down your priority list and you never get around to it.
I know if I hadn’t signed a Founders Pledge, that would have been me too.
Altruism is always a combination of emotional and rational motivations, and it gives our lives a purpose.
Seeing Founders Pledge apply data-science to charitable giving was fascinating and really reaffirmed that this initiative was the one for me.
Growing a successful business is hard. Doing good doesn’t have to be.
Founders Pledge isn't just about the money that’s generated, it’s about connecting people and taking them on a journey as philanthropists and leaders. I see so many of society’s most innovative thinkers and doers in tech consumed with the day-to-day of their businesses, while charities around the world continue to struggle with our most pervasive societal challenges.
Founders Pledge is the easiest and most effective way for tech founders to come together and give to those in need.
Back in 2013, I saw an opportunity. My academic journey was coming to an end, and my mind started to reach out for that next step. I had worked in finance at a big private bank in California, ran a start-up in Germany, and managed the regional operations for an international corporation. I thought to myself, how do I take what I know and make a positive social impact for society? Every month I’d read an article about some new technology that would “change the world” but then the next five articles would be about the same global problems that have faced humanity for the last century. I could get a taxi, order food, and watch my favorite TV show -- all with the click of a button -- and then arrive at home at the same time as my meal. Yet charities were still asking for money by holding buckets and signs outside of a tube station.
What if the collective minds behind everything I can do with my phone started to think about charity? They could change the world far beyond the scope of their business. As it turns out, though, these tech founders that were changing the way we interact with each other and the world around us don’t have a lot of time or money on their hands, so they don’t usually think about philanthropy. That’s why I started Founders Pledge.
It took me 18 months to get from idea to project, and in March 2015 we launched Founders Pledge in London. We started with 40 pledges and a dream of change, and now we have more than 500 pledgers in 21 countries and have raised $138 million for charity. Founders Pledge is the the simplest way for tech founders to do good with their success. It’s a powerful community of today’s brightest minds all of whom are committed to giving back. No matter what stage you’re at, you can start thinking about how to help those in need and Founders Pledge will be there to assist.
Have you ever wrapped your head around international tax law, or done a comparative analysis of the charitable sector? Our team has. We’ve stripped away the barriers to charitable giving, so you can focus on the bigger picture of your impact.
Pledging gives you instant access to a global network of like-minded founders who’ve all made a commitment to do good. You’ll be able to join our members-only events, monthly dinners, global forums, and meet-ups, and perhaps start a conversation that could end up changing the world.
A small commitment made today can have a significant impact in the future. Together with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking entrepreneurs in the tech industry, you’ll create a ripple effect that will get more of the community giving, maximising the impact of your donations.
A donation through Founders Pledge helps you give to charity in a tax-responsible and outcome-driven way. We take care of all of the logistics, from sourcing, to vetting, to deployment, and impact reporting -- and everything you haven’t thought of yet. We also provide tax relief globally and deploy your funds anywhere in the world.
Take a look at the "plain-English" version of our pledge agreement before you sign the real deal.
This agreement is between you and Founders Pledge. You’re making your pledge in connection with either the company you founded, or a company that you’ve invested in. You understand that it is our mission to help you support charities with your pledged funds.
This agreement is legally binding and may have personal tax implications.
The pledge you make covers many scenarios. We call these either an EXIT event when you sell the majority of your ownership interest in the company, or a LIQUIDITY event where you cash out a certain amount of your equity. When these events occur, we’ve indicated that you’ll notify us within 30 days, and transfer the funds within 60 days.
You’ll indicate the percentage of your payout you’d like to use to fund the charities you select. Founders Pledge won’t take a cut of this unless you tell us you’d like that - in other words, Founders Pledge is entirely free. Also, if we’re not around when you exit, you can donate to your charities directly and it will satisfy this contract.
Our first priority is to donate to the charities you’ve listed. However, if there’s something wrong with the organisations you’ve selected, then we may not be able to give them the money. This could apply, for example, if we find out they’re doing something illegal, fraudulent, supporting extremism, no longer have a charitable mission, or don’t exist. Regardless, we’ll work with you to find the best solution so that your wishes are carried out at that point. If our attempts to contact you go unanswered for too long, we have the right to select a charity on your behalf.
We’re also going to identify you as a member on our website, unless you opt out. You’ll also gain access to our programmes and events.
You confirm that you are at least 18 years old, have the authority to sign this contract, and that doing so won’t conflict with any agreements, restrictions, or laws that apply to you.
You’ll also agree to work with us in a timely manner to process your pledge, not to do anything against the intent of your pledge and to do your best to keep your estate affairs in order in case anything bad happens.
Only you and Founders Pledge can enforce the terms of this contract. If you list charities in the appendix (and you don’t have to at this point), they won’t have any enforceable rights or be a party to this contract.
Founders Pledge can transfer/assign this contract to another charity if that helps with tax relief.
If you're based in the EEA, any disputes will be settled in English courts (as we're a UK charity). If you're based in the US, any disputes will be settled in the courts of New York.
You’ll sign. We’ll sign. And voila, you’re done.
You’ll also have a chance to select the charity recipients now or the option to pick them at a later date.
© Founders For Good
25 Christopher Street, London EC2A 2BS | info@thefounderspledge.org
Founders For Good Ltd. is a registered charity in England and Wales (1162201) and a company limited by guarantee (08565148). Founders Pledge, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit in the US.
