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Omidyar Network

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Omidyar Network
Company typeImpact investor,non-profit organization
Founded2004;20 years ago(2004)
FounderPierre Omidyar
Websiteomidyar

Omidyar Networkis a self-styled "philanthropicinvestment firm,"composed of a foundation and animpact investment firm.[1]Established in 2004 byeBayfounderPierre Omidyarand his wife Pam,[2][3]Omidyar Network has committed over US$1.5billion tononprofit organizationsandfor-profit companiesacross multiple investment areas.[4]According to theOECD,Omidyar Network's financing for 2019 development increased by 10% to US$58.9 million.[5]

Structure

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Composed of a501(c)(3)and aLimited Liability Company(LLC), Omidyar Network is structured to work across the social, business, and government sectors. Like a traditionalfoundation,it makesgrantsthrough its 501(c)(3) entity; through its LLC, it invests in for-profit entities.[6]It is a part of The Omidyar Group.[7]

In 2018, Omidyar Network spun off its Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative.[8]The group now operates as Luminate, a global philanthropic organization that invests in civic empowerment, data anddigital rights,financial transparency,andindependent media.It is led by Stephen King.[9]

In 2019, Omidyar Network spun off its Financial Inclusion initiative. The group now operates as Flourish and is led by Tilman Ehrbeck, Arjuna Costa, and Emmalyn Shaw.

People

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As of 2022, the CEO of Omidyar Network is Mike Kubzansky.[10]Its board of directors include the managing directors of The Omidyar Group, Jeff Alvord and Pat Christen[11]and in 2023Michele Jawandowas senior vice president for programs.[12]

As of 2022, the organization has offices inSilicon Valley,Bengaluru,London,Mumbai,Nairobi,andWashington, D.C.

Investees

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Omidyar Network invested in the microfinance sector, includingUnitus Inc.[13]

In 2009, the Omidyar Network donated $2 million over two years to theWikimedia Foundation,and at the same time, Matt Halprin of Omidyar Network was appointed to Wikimedia's board of directors.[14][15]

From 2012, Omidyar Network has been a partner ofBetter Than Cash Alliance.[16][17]

In 2017, Omidyar Network together with AVINA Americas andAvina Foundationfounded the Latin American Alliance for Civic Technology (ALTEC) to invest in and support the development in Latin America of civic technology platforms and related scalable technologies.[18]

In 2020, it invested $150,000 in the legal assistance organizationWhistleblower Aid.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"The Omidyar way of giving".The Economist.No. October 26, 2013. October 26, 2013.Retrieved11 May2015.
  2. ^Rice, Andrew (2 November 2014)."The Pierre Omidyar Insurgency".New York.
  3. ^Schwartz, Brian (14 September 2020)."EBay founder Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic investment group calls for a new version of capitalism".CNBC.
  4. ^"Pierre Omidyar".Forbes.Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2022.Retrieved21 August2021.Through his Omidyar Network, launched in 2004, he's put over $1.5 billion into impact investments and nonprofits that tackle global problems.
  5. ^"Omidyar Network | Development Co-operation Profiles – Omidyar Network | OECD iLibrary".
  6. ^Guth, Robert A. (October 22, 2008)."EBay Founder's Philanthropic Firm to Donate More".The Wall Street Journal.pp. A4.
  7. ^Levitsky, Allison (14 September 2020)."Billionaire eBay founder's philanthropy calls for re-imagination of capitalism".American City Business Journals.
  8. ^"New Global Civic Tech Group Emerges from Omidyar Network".govtech.17 December 2018.Retrieved2020-11-23.
  9. ^"Stephen King".UNESCO.2019-04-04.Retrieved2020-11-27.
  10. ^Schwartz, Brian (14 September 2020)."EBay founder Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic investment group calls for a new version of capitalism".CNBC.
  11. ^"Leadership".Omidyar Network.14 December 2020.Retrieved20 August2022.
  12. ^Kurtz, Josh (January 19, 2023)."When it comes to celebrities at the inauguration, there's Oprah and there's everybody else".Maryland Matters.RetrievedMay 1,2023.
  13. ^Strom, Stephanie; Bajaj, Vikas (29 July 2010)."Rich I.P.O. Brings Controversy to SKS Microfinance".The New York Times.Retrieved29 December2020.
  14. ^Ha, Anthony (25 August 2009)."Wikipedia gets $2M from Omidyar Network".VentureBeat.Omidyar Network just announced that it's making a $2 million grant to the Wikimedia Foundation… Matt Halprin, a partner at [Omidyar], is also joining Wikimedia's board of trustees.
  15. ^West, Jackson (25 August 2009)."$2 Million Buys eBay Founder a Wikipedia Seat".NBC Bay Area.The Omidyar Network, a fund established by eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar, has pledged $2 million over two years to support the site, and in return landed fund partner Matt Halprin a seat on a shaken-up board of trustees.
  16. ^Goel, Vindu (6 November 2016)."Philanthropy in Silicon Valley: Big Bets on Big Ideas".The New York Times.And Omidyar participates in the Better Than Cash Alliance, an advocacy group that partners with governments and others to encourage the distribution of money digitally instead of through cash handouts.
  17. ^Dharshini, Priya; Kajla, Ashish; Bhattacharya, Anirban (28 November 2021)."How the Modi government wrecked India's small businesses".Quartz.the Better Than Cash Alliance [is] funded by United States Agency for International Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mastercard, Omidyar Network and Visa Inc.
  18. ^"Omidyar Network Invests $2.9 Million in Civic Tech Alliance".Philanthropy News Digest (PND).19 February 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 22 February 2017.
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