Grand Founders, an Economic Development Foundation

Grand Founders was originally launched as the nonprofit arm of a VC firm that wished to support Ukraine's long-term economic reconstruction through the support of its founders. The VC firm quickly decided to go all-in on its nonprofit activities, eventually evolving into a larger foundation that supports international investors, founders from emerging markets, and humanitarian activities.

Grand Founders functions as a members network, bringing together high-profile investors and founders to support each other in developed and emerging markets alike, with investments and business partnerships regularly occurring as a result of the exchanges. Membership dues are used to support the foundation's regular events and humanitarian activities.

The foundation's bi-annual summits in New York City have quickly become a point of reference among investor and founder circles, with high quality panel discussions and fireside chats that have included:

• Jack Selby, manager of Peter Thiel's family office and head of the PayPal mafia

• Kurt Volker, former US NATO Ambassador and special envoy to Ukraine

• Jack Hidary, founder of SandboxAQ, a unicorn that leverages AI and large quantitative models to solve some of society's greatest challenges

• Stephanie von Friedeburg, MD and Global Head of Public Sector at Citi

• Maura Pally, Executive Director at Blackstone Charitable Foundation

• Maria Kozloski, SVP of Innovative Finance at the Rockefeller Foundation

• Rita Cosby, multi-Emmy winning journalist who has interviewed everyone from Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump to Ariel Sharon and Slobodan Milosevic

Spring Summit 2023 at 34 Hudson Yards, NYC

Fall Summit 2024 at One World Trade, NYC

First Summit: Fall 2022 at Ukrainian American House, NYC

Executive Team & Board Members

Board Member

Panel Discussion at Fall Summit 2023

Aside from organizing closed-door events for founders and investors, Grand Founders has also provided considerable support to nonprofits operating in Ukraine, including its financing of food deliveries to over 20,000 Ukrainians living within 20 miles of the war's front lines at the beginning of the invasion.

Three Mast Group's Ryan McHenry is a founding member of Grand Founders, and he served as its COO and Board Secretary for its first two years of operations.