By 1997, we convinced many key innovations in global development weren’t getting the attention they deserved. Believing there had to be a better way to do aid, they started an experiment. In February 2000, they invited any social entrepreneur to pitch his or her earth-changing idea at the World Bank. The 300+ participants ranged from a group of NASA scientists to a woman who’d never before left her Ugandan village.
The event was a success, and we realized good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. They also realized there were many others who wanted to support good ideas. So they left the Bank to launch the world’s first crowdfunding community in 2002. Today, people in more than 165 countries can easily share their ideas, and individual donors and companies can easily support vetted nonprofits.
