There has been a lot of news lately regarding OpenAI’s play to become a for-profit company. I’m going to break it down for you.

You’ve probably heard of the great wealth transfer, which anticipates a whopping $84 TRILLION to get passed down over the next 20 years. But you may not have heard about the “HORIZONTAL wealth transfer”. The tl;dr is: ladies ‘bout to get some serious dough. 

Historically, “philanthropy” was about gifting capital to a worthy cause - gifting being the key term here. The majority of foundations even to this day have distinct teams for growing wealth and then choosing which causes to give that wealth to. However, there is a clear shift in the way the younger generation approaches philanthropy…

We are living in an era where for-profit companies are not just acknowledging the importance of contributing to societal and environmental betterment but are making it a mainstream commitment. This shift is becoming a significant lever for creating value for both shareholders and customers alike.

It was not my intention when I started Rise Together Ventures to begin a drone investment fund, but weirdly I keep falling in love with drone companies…first DroneDeploy, then Saildrone, and now a “drone as a first responder” company called Aerodome. Aerodome is focused on enhancing emergency response capabilities of public safety agencies such as Police and Fire Departments through the use of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - i.e. drones.

For those of you who have seen the movie Billy Madison, you may remember Adam Sandler’s famous scene where he purposely splashes water on his pants to make a little boy feel less awkward about peeing his pants: “it’s the coolest to pee your pants!” Well, in real life, and especially as an adult, it is NOT cool to pee your pants. Nor should it be the norm.

The recently launched Paystand.org, Paystand’s impact arm, aims to further financial inclusion through the use of blockchain technology. Blockchain-based systems can enable more efficient and transparent credit assessments, fostering greater access to credit, especially for small businesses and individuals in need of microfinance.

The recently launched Paystand.org, Paystand’s impact arm, aims to further financial inclusion through the use of blockchain technology. Blockchain-based systems can enable more efficient and transparent credit assessments, fostering greater access to credit, especially for small businesses and individuals in need of microfinance.

In recent years, two acronyms have risen to prominence: CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). These concepts have evolved not just as buzzwords but also frameworks guiding how companies operate within the broader societal and environmental context.

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, the integration of technology in learning environments has opened new avenues for addressing persistent challenges in literacy and reading proficiency. One exemplary example is BookNook, an innovative online platform dedicated to enhancing reading skills among elementary and middle school students through their methodology grounded in the Science of Reading.

DroneDeploy is the leading cloud-based drone mapping and analytics platform to help businesses get things done. DroneDeploy built the software that enables images and videos captured by drones and robots to be useful to a variety of industries.

Entrepreneurs are often celebrated for their ability to innovate, take risks, and build successful businesses. However, beyond their entrepreneurial prowess, many successful business leaders also possess a deep commitment to philanthropy and are emerging as powerful philanthropists (think Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Pierre Omidyar).

My previous blog post on why donating to for-profit organizations is both smart and easy was really just a tee-up for this blog post - because I’m thrilled to share that Rise Together Ventures has officially joined the cap table of Ribbon, a digital fiscal sponsorship platform that is transforming the way charities and charitable projects are started, funded and operated.

According to Oxford Languages (Google’s dictionary), Philanthropy is defined as “the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.”

The term “impact investing” was coined only 15 years ago (by the Rockefeller Foundation) - and although it’s a relatively new term, the concept of “impact investing” has roots back in as early as the 1800’s, as a means for organizations to avoid those areas that directly conflicted with their values.

As someone working in the wild world of venture capital, I am always looking for technologies that have the potential to disrupt industries and change the world. OpenAI's GPT technology is one such technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and live; however, one of the major concerns is how GPT technology could affect the workforce and the economy as a whole.

It has undoubtedly been quite a volatile couple of weeks for the tech + banking sectors. Beginning with the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank fallouts, and resulting worry spreading to First Republic and now the Credit Suisse situation, it is a fragile time for banks, startups and investors alike.

“Venture Philanthropy” is a word that has been popping up more frequently in my conversations, and I realized people were using it to describe different concepts (including myself), so I wanted to clear up the confusion.

For those of you who know me well, you know I’m an unashamed Swiftie. So much so that an article was written about my two-day fight to get tickets to her upcoming Eras Tour (spoiler, I got them). And my daughter, Willow, may or may not be named after one of her songs… (my husband wasn’t down with the name “Swift Reiter” 🙄).

When the news about the fall of FTX, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, came out, your first thought probably wasn’t, “well gosh, I wonder how this might affect the world of philanthropy?”