SV2 was born in a coffee shop rather than a garage, but our origins have much in common with the startup companies of Silicon Valley legend. At Palo Alto’s University Coffee, Stanford business student Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen pitched the president of the local Community Foundation with a new model of giving and investing in social impact.
As a graduate student, Laura developed the business plan for SV2 after researching why young tech leaders were amassing great fortunes but giving comparatively little back. Her theory: There was simply no model of giving that addressed their unprecedented circumstances.
By launching SV2, Laura and the founding Partners went beyond pooling donations. They invested their time and professional expertise to help high-potential nonprofits build their organizational capacity and scale their impact.
The Community Foundation, meanwhile, reported in its landmark study Giving Back: The Silicon Valley Way that the most effective way to reach young professionals was through their peers. After being incubated by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation for ten years, SV2 became an independent 501(c)3 in 2008.
Today, SV2 has grown into a community of international acclaim, helping inspire the venture philanthropy movement around the world. SV2 has funded over 125 nonprofits and social enterprises, providing more than $7 million in funding since its founding.
