Welcome! This is a repo in service of the Kauffman Fellows Stewardship Pledge (www.kauffmanfellows.org/our-pledge)
REPO CHARTER: Collect and manage improvements on a rolling basis to maintain and constantly improve the Stewardship Pledge. Mainly used by Kauffman Fellows, but open to the world and anyone supportive of the mission. Will merge major updates at least annually each June.
We are at a unique moment in the evolution of the venture capital industry. The industry can no longer ignore the ethical and moral issues that arise alongside its investment activities, from power imbalances, lack of inclusion or conflicts of interest.
At the same time, stakeholders across the ecosystem – from entrepreneurs to Limited Partners – are searching for a more proactive and affirmative approach from the investor community. A commitment that connects the privileged role of the innovation investor with our expectation in society that “to whom much is given, much is required.” A commitment that is public and sustained over the long arc of time by continued engagement and refinement by those who agree to uphold it.
This Stewardship Pledge is our attempt to respond to this need. It draws inspiration from the original values at the Kauffman Foundation as well as the professional codes of law, medicine, and asset management. The Pledge is offered as model for the conduct that we as Kauffman Fellows agree to exhibit and promote. And we ask all our stakeholders to hold us to it.
We also invite our fellow investors to join us as well. With over 500 Kauffman Fellows around the world, you are already in good company. But there is power in numbers – and we would be immensely grateful to have your engagement and partnership in this effort.
Most importantly, this is a living document. We know it is far from perfect. Over the course of each year, a volunteer group of Kauffman Fellows will collect and consider improvements to the Pledge based suggestions and lived experience, which will be released around the annual graduation module in June. We welcome any and all ideas for improvement. Please contact info@kfp.org.
Use this Pledge however you see fit. Sign it, email it, Instagram it, put it on your desk, tape it to your door, add it to your PPM. Whatever you do, live it! The only rule is to share back what you learn from the experience and how we might better serve the mission.
Finally, we would not have made it to this point without the inspiration and effort of Class 19 and Kauffman Fellows leadership who wrote and signed the first edition of the Pledge in January 2016. Great ideas must start somewhere, and you got this ball rolling. Thank you for your leadership.
Kauffman Fellows October 2017 Palo Alto, CA