509. Reimagining Philanthropy: How American Cancer Society's BrightEdge is Pioneering a New Model of Philanthropy - Alice Lin Pomponio

Listen to this episode

Overview

Meet Alice. For her, finding life-saving cancer treatments is personal, not just professional. With a career in biotech that's witnessed industry milestones, she now leads BrightEdge at the American Cancer Society. BrightEdge is a venture capital arm directing philanthropic donations to startups pioneering cancer-fighting solutions. Established in 2019, it's already invested $28.9 million in 18 companies, with the potential to benefit 1.5 million patients and families. Don't miss this inspiring discussion on driving impact and innovation in the fight against cancer. 🎗️

💡Learn

Overview of BrightEdge
The innovation behind venture capital models
Importance of inclusive and sustainable philanthropy

Today’s Guest

Alice Lin Pomponio, Managing Director, BrightEdge

“Health equity is a really important part of who we are, we don’t want anyone to be left behind.”

— Alice Lin Pomponio, Managing Director, BrightEdge

Episode Transcript

Download Full Episode Transcript Here

Episode Highlights

Alice’s story and journey to where she is today (3:00)
BrightEdge's origins and its impact on the American Cancer Societ (6:50)
BrightEdge's impact since inception (12:00)
Venture capital model as a new era in philanthropy (15:00)
Blended Giving - granting and impact investing (17:35)
Approaching these conversations with donors (20:00)
Opportunities for organizations with this model (23:00)
A powerful story of philanthropy in Alice’s life (30:00)
Alice’s One Good Thing: How can we keep the patient in the room? (34:00)
How to connect with BrightEdge (35:25)

Impactful Quotes

“What if cancer care could be sustainable?” -Alice

"Half of the solution is how you define the problem." -Alice

“We can invest and generate alternative revenue, we can actually deliver mission through the portfolio, meaning if the companies are successful, they may even achieve the same, if not better outcomes than what we do on the charity side.” -Alice

“American Cancer Society's mission is to end cancer as we know it for everyone. So health equity is a really important part of who we are, we don't want anyone to be left behind.” -Alice

“I think when folks err on the side of being skeptical, or critical, then we're never going to find that safe invention zone where people can trial new models.” -Alice

“Don't assume anything, do your homework, and be crystal clear on what it is that you want out of the experiment because it can be a costly experiment if you don't.” -Alice