Emerson Collective

We are a nationally-ranked venture capital firm and accelerator that brings together startup founders, investors, corporations, job seekers, universities, musicians and artists. The gener8tor platform includes more than 75 programs spanning startup accelerators, corporate programming, speaker series, conferences, skills accelerators and fellowships. gener8tor believes that everyone deserves opportunities, regardless of race, place or gender. And that is what we consider our mission. Why do we do it? Our mission is to be the best partner for a community to invest in its best and brightest. We envision communities achieving measurable and transformational growth through programming that enables equitable access and opportunity. We do what we do because we care about our communities. At gener8tor, everyone belongs. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk. Our goal is to close equity gaps for founders, continually improve the workforce, and foster relationships with diverse communities and organizations that are dedicated to DE&I. From the culture of our own company to the experience of our programs and participants, we strive to create an inclusive and safe environment for everyone.

Pivotal Ventures (“Pivotal”) is an investment and incubation company created by Melinda French Gates. We partner, invest, and advocate to remove barriers that hold people back, concentrating on areas where progress and opportunity have stalled for millions of Americans. The pursuit of a more equal and equitable United States - not just for some of us, but for everyone - is what drives us forward. It's the why behind every problem we tackle. We approach partnership with big ambitions and open minds, embracing what’s already working and innovating beyond traditional philanthropy. Some areas we focus on: women in technology and innovation; Women in public office; women and girls of color; adolescent mental health; paid family and medical leave; and caregiving. Inspired by our founder, we reach across communities and sectors to bring together changemakers who can scale up proven ideas and catalyze new ones. We learn from their experiences, amplify their resources, then step back so they can lead. Our impatience with the status quo is fueled by an optimism that progress is always possible.

The Sorenson Impact Center helps organizations achieve their impact vision by connecting capital to social and environmental solutions, helping organizations measure, report, and improve impact, and integrating data science and people-centered storytelling into all that we do. Along with our clients and partners, we share a vision of an equitable and thriving world where everyone is valued, communities prosper, and the measured impact of our actions guides decision-making. As part of our mission to train future impact leaders, the Center integrates academic programming and experiential learning into each of its practice areas. The Center is proudly housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business.

Founded in 2006, The Schmidt Family Foundation is the first of several philanthropic organizations and initiatives Eric and Wendy Schmidt created to work toward a healthier and more just world. Veterans of Silicon Valley, the couple sought to bring the dynamism, optimism and power of networks and communities to drive change from the world of technology to the world of philanthropy. The Schmidt Family Foundation makes grants and impact investments through two programs, the 11th Hour Project, founded in 2006, and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, founded in 2015. The Foundation also supports the work of ReMain Nantucket, founded in 2008, which applies the lessons and strategies of the Foundation’s environmental work within the context of a small community threatened by sea level rise, and 11th Hour Racing, founded in 2010, which encourages sustainable practices in the sport of sailing and the maritime industry. That same year, realizing the crucial role of the ocean in maintaining the health of the planet and its people, the Schmidts created Schmidt Ocean Institute, acquiring and retrofitting a decommissioned fisheries protection ship as a research vessel and making it available to scientists around the world to explore the oceans and pursue marine research. In 2017, Eric and Wendy created Schmidt Futures, an initiative that identifies talented individuals from across disciplines and supports their big ideas for solving problems in science and society. Our Founders Eric and Wendy Schmidt have been active philanthropists since 2006, when they started the Schmidt Family Foundation to address challenges facing communities around the world, working for clean renewable energy, healthy food systems, healthy oceans and the protection of human rights. They also founded Schmidt Ocean Institute to advance oceanographic research by offering access to the world’s first year-round philanthropic research vessel in exchange for making their findings publicly available. In 2017, the couple founded Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative that invests in exceptional people making the world better and brings them together in interdisciplinary networks to solve problems in science and society. Eric Schmidt led Google as CEO for a decade and as executive chairman for four years. He also served as executive chairman of Alphabet for three years and as technical advisor. A journalist early in her career, Wendy Schmidt also worked in marketing communications in Silicon Valley and since 2006 has led the couple’s philanthropy as president of the Schmidt Family Foundation and Schmidt Ocean Institute. Our Method The Schmidt Family Foundation works to restore a balanced relationship between people and planet through two methods: grantmaking and impact investing. We award grants primarily through our two programs–the 11th Hour Project and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners–as well as through several of our related entities, including 11th Hour Racing, Schmidt Ocean Institute and ReMain Nantucket. Our grants support organizations on the frontlines of environmental justice, in communities working to advance clean energy, strengthen sustainable food systems and restore ocean health. We believe that creating a network of changemakers–across sectors, disciplines and geographies–is more powerful than focusing on any single place, field or strategy. We learn from the organizations we fund and the communities they serve, and we take risks to be first or early funders. We make impact investments to provide capital that is patient, purposeful and flexible to organizations that share our goal of restoring the relationship between people and planet. We offer flexible capital in various forms, such as low-interest loans, equity stakes, convertible notes and recoverable grants, as we seek out transformational early-stage projects that may not otherwise attract investment from traditional sources. We prioritize social returns over financial, and we use investments to further our mission and help solve global challenges. We also invest in community development financial institutions, funds and other entities that share our goals. We proactively seek out grant and investment opportunities and do not accept unsolicited proposals. To learn more about our work, please visit the websites of our programs and related organizations, linked from the home page.

The Kapor Center is a family of three distinct organizations working under a shared mission to remove barriers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, and tech careers, and tech entrepreneurship for underrepresented people of color. SMASH: A 501c(3) public charity which operates STEM education programs. Kapor Capital: A seed-stage investment fund. Kapor Foundation: A 501c(3) private operating foundation. The Kapor Center aims to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through increasing access to tech and STEM education programs, conducting research on access and opportunity in computing, investing in community organizations and gap-closing social ventures, building diverse and inclusive companies, and increasing access to capital among diverse entrepreneurs. The three organizations are supported by a robust operations team - employed by a separate entity, Kapor Enterprises, Inc. (KEI)- , which provides finance, accounting, human resources, people operations, IT, events, legal, special initiatives, and other operational support. REBUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE TECH SECTOR, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY From systemic racism and economic inequality to the growing role of tech in all aspects of our lives, we are in a historical moment that requires urgent, bold, and innovative solutions. The Kapor Center’s work focuses at the intersection of racial justice and technology, and we are doubling-down on our work to fight for racial justice and create a more inclusive technology sector. We understand that systems of inequality are at play–and we work to intentionally dismantle barriers to the creation and deployment of technologies across the Leaky Tech Pipeline through research-driven practices, programs, partnerships, and policies.

CJ Investment plans to invest 400 billion won in startups aimed at developing new growth engines focused on four major growth engines: culture, platform, wellness and sustainability. CJ is actively expanding its equity investment and collaborating with startups after announcing the company’s future innovative growth strategy through its mid-term vision. Recently, it has been seeking new businesses and synergies by conducting strategic investments including a business collaboration with ‘bemyfriends,’ a global fandom startup, and investing in healthcare funds. It is also expanding its accelerating functions that identify promising new startups and provide proactive investments to support their growth. In line with this, the company is currently operating O!VentUs, an open innovation program that helps strengthen business capacity and promotes joint commercialization by recognizing startups with potential.