I have been asked by Brian Abrams to join a taskforce to think about in how philanthropy can be used to reconstruct the societal and infrastructural devastation of Gaza.
From Brian — I'm thrilled to announce that we have officially completed the first closing of the new B Ventures fund! This is a first-of-its-kind in the world, applying the venture capital model to the age-old problem of war with a mission to both generate top-tier returns and make the world incrementally more peaceful and less violent. We're now off to the races, and we expect to announce our first couple of investments by the end of next quarter.
For those who joined the first “friends and family” round, I'm immensely grateful. For those who weren't able to join yet or are just hearing about this for the first time, it's not too late. We're now looking ahead to our second closing around year end.
Exiting a portfolio company before you launch the fund falls in the “good problems to have” category. ODR.com was an online dispute resolution (ODR) company whose mission I often described as “disrupting Judge Judy,” moving thousands of small claims from the courtroom to the smartphone. It had what I believed to be a huge domestic US market opportunity that could generate an exceptional return. Once expanded internationally, I envisioned how it could also help resolve the 10,000 small conflicts that underpin the big ones. While my personal investment generated a stellar return (74% IRR) in May when it was acquired by the American Arbitration Association (AAA), I wish we could have made it a fund-level investment in B Ventures. At a minimum, it offers an excellent proof-of-concept of how we intend to both generate top-tier returns and simultaneously resolve conflict.
Fortunately, we think we've got the next great investment already in the queue! More on that next time…
We sponsored a live online event featuring seven peacetech founders organized by our dynamic new team member, Shane Ray Martin. If you haven't already, please make sure to follow B Ventures, Brian, and Shane on LinkedIn and stay tuned for more great events and podcasts in the months ahead.
Since October 7th, I've been working to advance a “Marshall Plan” for post-war Gaza in the belief that it could benefit all parties: greater security for Israel, hope and opportunity for Gazans, closer alignment with the Gulf states for regional cooperation, etc. After an extraordinary meeting a few months ago in Helsinki of high-level Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Europeans, and Americans, we're now working to knit together the various plans as per the Ethiopian saying, “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” I hope to share more in the weeks and months ahead.
We'd like to give a quick, spread-the-word shoutout to our new friends at the Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG), which connects and supports a network of foundations and individuals across six continents with expert insight on conflict dynamics, evidence-based peace approaches, and investing in the future of humanity. For more information about PSFG, feel free to contact their executive director, Alex Toma.