Since our recent recession, I have been continually reminded that there is no amount of philanthropic or civic investment that can replace a robust economy and citizens hard at work. That’s why both personally, and through the Case Foundation, we have long supported entrepreneurial initiatives that both help people find and create jobs or harnesses skilled volunteers to increase community capacity. From our investments in A Billion + Change and Give an Hour, tapping professionals to meet critical needs; to our work with the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership, expanding economic and educational opportunity in the West Bank; and most recently our support of the Startup America Partnership to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems here in the U.S., we have become firm believers in investing in efforts that help people invest in themselves and enrich the communities around them.
As a foundation that is constantly looking ahead to new ways we can support entrepreneurial efforts, and for opportunities to weave entrepreneurial principles in everything that we do, we’re thrilled today to announce the addition of a new Senior Fellow who will help us do just that – Sean Greene, who was most recently with the Small Business Administration, overseeing its innovation efforts and funds, including the $19 billion SBIC program and the $2 billion SBIR program. Sean is also no stranger to entrepreneurship, as a former CEO and investor himself having had many business wins, most notably being the founder and CEO of Away.com, an online travel company that he sold to Orbitz. Sean’s deep understanding of the opportunities that lie at the intersections of business, government and philanthropy will accelerate and enrich the strategies being tested by us and our partners.
In addition to helping us evaluate and refine our efforts to revitalize communities through entrepreneurship, Sean will join Senior Fellow, Sonal Shah, to play a key role in our new efforts to identify new approaches to inspire, educate and mobilize capital in the impact investing space. As traditional sources of capital in the social sector become harder to obtain, but needs for social services and civic innovations soar, we have to find new solutions and new sources of both capital and talent. We’re excited about the potential for impact investments and impact entrepreneurs to help fill that gap in a significant way. And, Sean’s unique experience will undoubtedly help us identify the right paths – quicker and smarter.
You can read more about Sean and his new role in today’s press release, and we hope you’ll join us in welcoming this outstanding public servant and accomplished entrepreneurs to the Case Foundation team!
