About this item
Dubbed "the little French Bill Gates" in his native country, Alexandre Mars quit the startups that made him rich, transforming himself from entrepreneur to philanthropist. Determined to become a responsible and effective giver, Mars traveled around the world, asking two very simple questions. "Do you give to charity?" "Do you give enough?" While all answered yes to the first question, their second answer - "no" surprised him. From Hong Kong to Paris to New York, he met numerous people passionate about making the world a better place, yet unsure of how to do so. Certain there must be a better answer than volunteerism or blank checks, Mars began Epic, a foundation that allows for users to donate directly to rigorously vetted charities while seeing their impact in real time.
About the Author
Alexandre Mars is a serial entrepreneur and engaged philanthropist. Over the past 15 years, he has launched and sold several companies in Europe and North America in a variety of industries including venture capital, internet, mobile marketing, social media and digital advertising. His last two startups, Phonevalley (the largest global mobile marketing agency) and ScrOOn (a leader in social media management system) , were sold to Publicis Groupe andBlackberry.In 2014 he harnessed the momentum of his success and experience to found Epic, a nonprofit startup which brings solutions to individuals and companies to make giving the norm. Epic promotes a strategic approach to philanthropy to financially support high-impact social organizations tackling youth and children issues globally. Epic is headquartered inNew York City with offices in Bangkok, Brussels, London, Mumbai, Paris and San Francisco.In 2014 Alexandre also founded blisce/, his family office which invests in venture capital funds and startups including Spotify, Pinterest and Blablacar. A regular contributor on BFM Business, France's most watched business news network, Alexandre also contributes interviews of prominent movers and shakers in his Huffington Post "Doing Well by Doing Good" column, and is regularly invited to speak at a number of global forums and events including: Web Summit (Lisbon) , YPO (Vancouver) , SXSW (Austin) and WSJDLive (LA) , where his expertise in tech innovation and leadership in philanthropy help others better understand contemporary trends and challenges.Alexandre is a member of the Global Philanthropists Circle at Synergos, Young Presidents' Organization and Nexus. Named in 2015 among New York's top philanthropists under 40 by the New York Observer, he was awarded the Trophée de l'avenir Europe 1 in 2016 and was appointed chair of the Sport and Society Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bid.
