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From Tel Aviv to tech boardrooms, my entrepreneurial journey has taken me through building businesses, navigating painful failures, celebrating meaningful exits and eventually investing in other founders’ visions. I’m an Israeli immigrant who came to the U.S. with little more than ambition and a belief that hard work could move mountains. Over time, I’ve seen firsthand how startups are born from nothing but grit and vision — but as those companies grow, they begin to touch more than just market share. They influence culture. They inspire communities. And they bear the responsibility to give back.
In recent years, my focus has shifted from just building companies to helping others build theirs and, just as importantly, encouraging them to align their success with meaningful causes. After joining the Israeli-American Council (IAC) as a council member, I realized that beyond the business pitch decks and M&A spreadsheets lies something even more impactful: service. Through our initiatives supporting Jewish solidarity, educational programs and bridging relationships between American and Israeli entrepreneurs, I found that philanthropy isn’t just a “feel-good” endeavor — it’s a strategic advantage. It grounds founders, strengthens brand identity, builds community and invites purpose into what can sometimes feel like a grind.
So, here’s my call to fellow founders, startup CEOs and emerging entrepreneurs: Integrate charitable alignment into your DNA. Not for press. Not for optics. For impact.
Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Reasons to Embrace Philanthropy
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Mission: Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, turning dreams into reality during their most difficult battles.
Startup life is full of “impossible” dreams — something Make-A-Wish embodies in a very human way. Supporting them isn’t just about giving; it’s about reminding your team what hope looks like. Tech company Atlassian has funded dozens of wishes through employee-led campaigns, showing how company culture can be both productive and profoundly kind.
Team Rubicon
Mission: Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams.
Startups are built on agility — and Team Rubicon is a masterclass in organized action under pressure. They’re a phenomenal organization to support, especially for founders with veteran ties or a passion for community disaster response. Their recent deployment to Maui after wildfires made national headlines.
Operation Gratitude
Mission: Operation Gratitude delivers care packages and personalized letters to deployed troops, veterans, wounded heroes and first responders.
Startups often talk about grit and sacrifice, and Operation Gratitude honors the Americans who live those values every day. Supporting this organization provides tangible appreciation to service members and can unify teams around shared patriotic values. It’s especially meaningful for companies with veteran employees or founders, or those wanting to show support for public servants.
The Trevor Project
Mission: The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.
Today’s workforce values inclusion, and The Trevor Project is on the frontlines of emotional and mental health. Their work intersects with DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) priorities that many startups strive for. Salesforce has championed LGBTQ+ causes through The Trevor Project, showing how social alignment can reflect core brand values.
Israeli-American Council (IAC)
Mission: The IAC builds an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identity, the American Jewish community and the bond between the people of the United States and Israel.
Beyond my personal affiliation, IAC offers incredible opportunities for founders to connect with global networks, Jewish and Israeli-American business leaders, and to support education, cultural diplomacy and solidarity during global crises. When Israel faced economic and emotional turmoil during recent conflicts, IAC quickly mobilized both humanitarian aid and business support.
Related: 10 Philanthropic Organizations Entrepreneurs Should Consider Supporting
DonorsChoose
Mission: DonorsChoose empowers public school teachers by funding their classroom projects, from books to science kits.
Education is the ultimate upstream investment. Many of today’s innovators were inspired by great teachers — yet those teachers often lack basic resources. Supporting DonorsChoose lets entrepreneurs impact students directly, and startups can align product donations, campaigns or even team volunteering around local classrooms.
Feeding America
Mission: Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, providing meals through a network of food banks.
No one innovates well on an empty stomach. Hunger is closer than many founders realize, especially in cities with both tech hubs and underserved populations. Recent partnerships with companies like Amazon and General Mills show how even operational efficiencies (like surplus distribution) can be used for social good.
Girls Who Code
Mission: To close the gender gap in tech by equipping young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st-century careers.
Founders often talk about the pipeline problem — Girls Who Code solves it. Their alumni now work at Google, Meta and hundreds of other startups. Supporting them isn’t just charitable; it’s a strategic investment in a more balanced, innovative future.
Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.)
Mission: O.U.R. works to rescue children from sex trafficking and exploitation and partners with local law enforcement around the world.
Modern slavery is real — and profitable. It’s time for ethical businesses to help end it. O.U.R. gives companies a direct way to engage in awareness, funding and rescue missions. With ongoing cases in Central America and Southeast Asia, their work is urgent and impactful.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Mission: St. Jude leads the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
St. Jude combines compassion with cutting-edge research — a formula every biotech or health-tech founder should admire. What sets them apart is that families never receive a bill. Startups can support them through percentage-of-revenue donations, corporate sponsorships or employee matching programs.
Startups are inherently optimistic. They are born from belief. But belief without action is hollow. These ten organizations aren’t just charity checkboxes. They’re powerful channels for meaning, connection and responsibility. When founders integrate giving into their companies, they don’t just enrich the world — they enrich their teams, their culture and themselves.
Related: The Business Of Giving Back: Five Reasons Why Philanthropy Should Be At The Core Of Your Corporate Strategy
As someone who has gone from bootstrap to boardroom, from failure to fortune and from founder to funder — I can tell you this: Success that stands alone feels empty. But when your company becomes a vehicle for change, everything you build starts to matter more.
So, the next time you pitch your business, ask yourself: What are you building it for?
