CROSSOVER IDEAS
Wooing Wealthy Donors
With an ‘IPO Road Show’
By ALEX DANIELS
An entrepreneur debuts a business-style worldwide
tour to pitch nonprofits to the newly wealthy
Newly minted millionaires often
balk at making charitable gifts — not
because they’re stingy but because
they don’t know which nonprofits to
trust. That’s according to Alexandre
Mars, a technology entrepreneur who
is turning his energy to doing good.
To inspire confidence and spur
donations, Mr. Mars created a new
instrument of philanthropy: a foun-
dation that promotes vetted charities
to donors in the same way a business
woos investors for an initial public
offering.
The venture will debut this fall,
when Mr. Mars will travel the globe
during a promotional tour — one that
will mimic a road show before a stock
IPO. Here’s how he turned his idea
into reality:
2014
After seeking counsel
from experts at the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation,
the Omidyar Network, and
others, Mr. Mars creates
the Epic Foundation.
2013
Alexandre Mars
sells his third company,
decides to pursue
social good.
Early 2015
EPIC’S 2015 PORTFOLIO
UNITED STATES
Ali Forney Center
Bottom Line
TeenForce
Nurse-Family
Partnership
First Graduate
BRAZIL
Turma do Bem
Gastromotiva
EUROPE
Sport dans la Ville
Haven House
Brilliant Club
Simplon.co
AFRICA
Schistosomiasis
Control Initiative
Nyaka AIDS Orphan
Project
Educate!
SOUTHEAST ASIA
M’Lop Tapang
Friends-International
Reach
Epic calls for
Health Economic empowerment
applications
from nonprofits
in four areas
of children’s
welfare:
Human rights
INDIA
Sneha
Apnalaya
Aangan Trust
September through
December 2015
Education
January through
July 2015
Mr. Mars and his team sift through
1,400 charity applications like
a venture-capital firm eyeballing
early-stage companies. Via phone
calls and field evaluations, they cull
the field to 100, then 50, then 20.
Epic will present its portfolio
of 20 nonprofits to three groups
of individuals: entrepreneurs,
“voices” (e.g., entertainers and athletes), and
corporate donors. This “road show” will stop in
Boston, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles,
Mumbai, New York, Paris, and Singapore. By the
end of the year, Mr. Mars hopes to reap donations
of at least $7.5 million. He put $1.5 million of his
own money into the effort and will not take a fee.
DALE EDWIN MURRAY, FOR THE CHRONICLE
32
SEPTEMBER 2015
THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY