Chamath Palihapitiya
Chamath Palihapitiya is a Sri Lankan-Canadian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist. He is the founder of the venture capital firm Social Capital and previously served as an executive at AOL, where he was Vice President for Marketing, and at Facebook, where he served as Vice President for User Growth, Mobile, and International.
He is well-known for his early investments in companies like Slack, Yammer, and Box. In addition, Palihapitiya is known for his vocal and often contrarian views on technology, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. He has also been an active philanthropist and is the founder of the Palihapitiya Development Foundation, which supports development projects in his home country of Sri Lanka. He is also known for his public appearances and speeches on startups, technology, and venture capital and is often considered a thought leader in these areas.
He is also known for his strong opinions and criticisms of some aspects of Silicon Valley, especially on how the Social media giant Facebook has been mishandling user data and privacy issues. He has also been vocal about the lack of diversity in Silicon Valley and the negative impact of some tech companies on society.
Chamath Palihapitiya is also a philanthropist and has been active in charitable causes throughout his career. He is the founder of the Palihapitiya Development Foundation, which supports development projects in his home country of Sri Lanka. He has supported causes such as education, health, and community development. He also focuses on various local and international projects, including providing school uniforms for underprivileged children and building several community centers and libraries. He has also supported health clinics and hospitals providing free medical treatments for the needy.
He is also known for his philanthropic investments in companies that focus on social impact, specifically in companies looking to help with healthcare, clean energy, and poverty reduction. He is also known for being a proponent of impact investing, which aims to create measurable social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.
Additionally, Palihapitiya has been a vocal advocate for giving back to the community and encouraging other successful entrepreneurs and investors to do the same. He encourages people to give back to society and uses his platform to educate people about philanthropy's importance and its role in society.
Overall, Chamath Palihapitiya is a well-known and influential figure in the technology industry, known for his successes as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, as well as his philanthropy and public speaking on a wide range of topics related to technology, business, and society.
