The Washington Post hosted their first ever Ingenuity Summit at their soon to be former headquarters in Farragut West and brought together millennials in business as well as big names in Silicon Valley and DC’s growing tech scene.
Executive members of DropBox, Funny or Die, &pizza and more sat on panels and answered questions from hungry millennial entrepreneurs, potential partners, and invested public.
Attendees came from near and far for the world-class networking and potential partnerships the gathering made possible.
Attendee Andrew Noyes is the VP of Communications for Brigade, a San Francisco, CA-based startup that may soon be the bridge connecting millennials and politics.
He flew in for a meeting and made a point to stop by the summit.“Being able to come together and share experiences and learn from successful entrepreneurs is incredibly helpful,” says Noyes.
While I listened to executives of theSkimm & Thrillist talk about being “scrappy” in business and “taking risks” in life, I had the good fortune of being introduced to a force in the philanthropic movement, Dale Nirvani Pfeifer of GoodWorld.
The company made the way for social savvy givers to donate to their favorite charities by commenting ‘#donate’ on a partner charity’s Facebook post (ex. #donate $20), or tweeting “#donate’ at the charity’s Twitter handle.
Yep. You can send money with a hashtag. And boy does giving have its perks.
On Doing Good and Making Money
The 1-year-old startup boasts the who’s who of Silicon Valley as investors and counts big names like Hans Morris, the former president of VISA, and former GM exec Chris Liddell in their portfolio of advisors and investors.
For a company operating almost exclusively in a non-profit world, many would assume GoodWorld also runs as a nonprofit. But they don’t.
“When I was trying to get the company off the ground I struggled with the decision to make it a nonprofit or for profit,” says Pfeifer. “But as a nonprofit I would not be able to attract the resources I would need to scale the company quickly. I didn’t understand how the business model would be sustainable.”
“We’re lucky to have the who’s who of silicon valley payments as investors and advisors. What they have brought is not just their wealth of connections and their money, but a huge amount of financial acumen that we can learn from inside the business. I really believe in the power of business to create the change that we need in the world.”
“I really believe in the power of business to create the change that we need in the world.”
“We are not as a traditional company but a movement…the headquarters of the generosity movement. We truly believe we can create a culture of generosity on social media that goes beyond likes & shares, but to a financial contribution that is going to change the world.”
The GoodWorld team is 15 employees strong and hopes to continue growing.
“We have people from all different backgrounds. But everyone is so invested in wanting to do something that changes the world. And we all believe that tech and social media have the potential to be that change.”
On Getting a Job at GoodWorld
“The company really is about creating a ‘good world’ and that starts with us, says Pfeifer. “Hiring is something I don’t let anybody else do. Company culture is the most important thing to me.”
“I aspire for our culture to be awesome, but the day to day may be something different.”
“For people interested in coming to work at a startup, be prepared to work in an environment that simply does not have certainty and security. And be prepared to work in a different way. If you’re interested in doing things the same old way, this is not the place for you. We’re looking for innovators.”
“Every single person on the team is focused on making the most impact. They are able to put aside their doubts and have the ferocity to shoot for their goals.”
“I’m looking for ingenuity, entrepreneurship, warm-heartedness. A caring personality who actually cares about the world. You have to be fierce– every day there are challenges, there is noise, but you have to be able to decide what will make the most impact.”
Looking to work for or partner with GoodWorld? Contact them here. Like any new start up, they are looking for solutions. They’re looking for growth. Position yourself as that solution and they won’t be able to ignore you.