I’m a big believer in the power of technology to make the world a better place. The innovators in Boston’s tech community are part of the gradual improvement of our lives, in ways both mundane and profound. But there’s always room to do more good, and so I’m pleased to invite you all to join BostInno in supporting TUGG’s upcoming Tech Gives Back Day by registering for its evening celebration Friday 9/21.
If you don’t know TUGG, which stands for Technology Underwriting the Greater Good, it’s a nonprofit founded by investors Jeff Fagnan (Atlas), Hemant Tenaja (General Catalyst) and Dana Samuels.
The party on the 21st is at The Estate from 5-10PM and its aim is to celebrate the good work that a number of tech volunteers will have done in the local community earlier that week (participation in the volunteering aspect is already full). Like all TUGG events, the ticket price ($25) will help raise money for social entrepreneurs in and around Boston.
I asked Fagnan earlier this week about how TUGG was founded, and he told me the original idea was simply to help encourage the tech scene to do its part for charity.
“When we first started, we didn’t have any clue what this could become,” he told me. The first event was a small gathering in the General Catalyst conference room, which raised $3,000. By comparison, TUGG’s wine party last January had 700 attendees and raised a couple hundred thousand dollars, according to Fagnan.
TUGG has evolved into what it calls “open source philanthropy,” meaning that the recipients of the funds raised are voted on by the tech community itself. There is a focus on entrepreneurial activities and on keeping funds local, but, beyond that, the crowd selects what projects are worthy.
The idea, Fagnan said, was “let’s go fund the earliest and most risky social innovation projects in Boston.” And Tech Gives Back Day became a way to draw attention to what the tech community was doing, along with a chance for social innovators and funders to mix.
We’re proud at BostInno to be a partner on Tech Gives Back Day and hope you’ll sign up today for the party on 9/21. It’s going to be fun, and it’s for a number of good causes. You’ll even get to help pick which ones.
