Investors and family offices from across the political spectrum will gather at the Fordham Gabelli School of Business in midtown Manhattan on September 3 for the founding meeting of Investors for a Better America, a nonpartisan conference built on the premise that free enterprise and constitutional democracy depend on many of the same conditions.
"I believe we have a fiduciary obligation to keep America investor-friendly, which means we need a strong capitalist constitutional democracy," said David Teten, cofounder of Investors for a Better America and a Partner with Orange Collective, a venture capital firm exclusively backing graduates of Y Combinator, the world’s leading tech accelerator.
The convening will also mark the launch of the Collaborative Impact Initiative, a co-investment vehicle announced by the Bridge Alliance and administered by Mediators Foundation. The Bridge Alliance has committed up to $300,000 and invites additional investors to join at a $75,000 minimum.
The Collaborative Impact Initiative departs from conventional philanthropy in the expectations it places on investors. Backers are expected to contribute business judgment, networks, and time alongside capital, as a tech startup accelerator supports a portfolio company.
"Writing a check and walking away has not moved this field," said David L. Nevins, Chairman of the Board of the Bridge Alliance. "What is scarce here is not only money. It is the operational discipline venture capital investors bring as a matter of course, including the ability to interrogate a plan, assess execution risk, and help leaders stay accountable to measurable progress. We are asking for both."
Funding is directed to partnerships rather than to single organizations. Eligible proposals must involve two or three organizations with complementary rather than overlapping capabilities; name a lead organization with the capacity to hold and account for funds; and commit to an outcome verifiable within eighteen months. Proposals will be evaluated on fit to field need, durability, additionality, investor pull, and readiness.
A review panel drawn from investors, academic experts in democratic governance, and Mediators Foundation will select recipients. Funds will be released to the lead organization in quarterly tranches, with each payment contingent on a report of spending and progress.
"A funding opportunity that drives both collaboration and is directed by both funders and field experts is exactly the type of experiment needed in the field. Combining that with counsel from investors who know how to scale and execute has the potential to be transformative," said Jacob Bornstein, president of Mediators Foundation and a cofounder of Investors for a Better America.
Applications open to eligible organizations following the inaugural conference. Proposals are due approximately 45 days later, with selections announced at 60 days and funded work beginning within 60 days of selection.
The speakers for the September 3 program at Fordham's Gabelli School of Business include senior investor speakers from leading family offices and such firms as the Nigerian sovereign wealth fund, UBS, RBC Capital Markets, JP Morgan Asset Management, Bank of America, Millennium, Rothschild Asset Management, Harvard Management Company, Goldman Sachs, B Capital, First Round, Renaissance Technologies, District of Columbia Retirement, International Finance Corporation, Cantor Fitzgerald, and TIAA-CREF.
Registration is open at investorsforabetteramerica.org.
