John Kluge Jr.

John W. Kluge Jr.[1] (born 1984)[2] is an American venture capitalist, philanthropist, and activist.[3]

John Kluge Jr.
Born1984 (age 36–37)
NationalityAmerican
EducationPhillips Academy
Alma materColumbia University (BA)
Babson College (MBA)
OccupationInvestor, philanthropist, activist
Parent(s)John Kluge
Patricia Kluge

Early life

Kluge is the adopted son of the late billionaire John Kluge, founder of the media conglomerate Metromedia, and his wife, Patricia Kluge (née Patricia Maureen Rose), who adopted him in 1984 and raised him on their Charlottesville, Virginia estate, Albemarle House.[4] He graduated from Phillips Academy in 2001 and Columbia University in 2005.[5][6] He also has a MBA from the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business of Babson College.[7][8]

Biography

After college, Kluge worked for several think tanks, including the anti-poverty think tank Rock and Wrap it Up, and the EastWest Institute, where he was made program coordinator for the institute's cybersecurity initiative.[9][10]

Kluge founded Eirene, an angel investment firm that supports social causes and also provides consulting services on cause marketing and analytic giving.[2] One of his investments is Fonderie 47, a social enterprise that recovers weapons from conflict zones and melts them down to produce luxury items such as watches and accessories.[11]

In 2012, Kluge co-founded Toilet Hackers, a social enterprise dedicated to building sanitation projects in underdeveloped regions that lack adequate access to toilets.[12][13] He also launched the first worldwide "Toilet Hackathon," in partnership with the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to gather entrepreneurs worldwide to brainstorm for innovative and sustainable solutions to global sanitation problems.[3]

In 2018, Kluge launched the Refugee Investment Network, a philanthropy that directs private capital to refugee entrepreneurs. The fund has secured more than $200 million in commitments as of 2018 and aims to mobilize at least $1 billion in investment by 2030.[14]

Kluge serves as a trustee of Babson College and was a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies's task force on global forced migration that was formed in 2017.[15][16][17]

Kluge is the author of two books: Charity & Philanthropy for Dummies (2013) and John Kluge: Stories (2015), published by Columbia University Press.[18][19][20]

Personal life

Kluge is married to Christine Mahoney, a professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia.[21][22] The couple have co-founded the Alight Fund, an investment platform for refugee entrepreneurs.[23]

Kluge inherited his father's estate after Kluge Sr.'s death, but it was sold to The Trump Organization and was transformed into the Trump Winery.[24][25][26] In 2017, after President Donald Trump announced a tariff against Mexican products, he decided to raise $25,000 for a flag-raising ceremony in front of the winery to celebrate Mexican American partnership.[24] In 2021, he helped launch the "truth farm," a public art installation dedicated to conversations about immigration, next to the winery owned by the Trump family.[27]

References
  1. "John W. Kluge Jr. '05 Meets with Kluge Scholars | Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  2. "How This Heir Is Helping Turn Guns Into Jewlery". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. Pfanner, Eric (2013-04-18). "Competition Designed to Spread Basic Technologies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  4. DeSanctis, Marcia (2016-10-14). "The Strange Saga of Trump Winery". Town & Country. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  5. 1320520. "Andover magazine: Spring 2014". Issuu. Retrieved 2021-09-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. Tennant, Christopher (2008-01-01). The Official Filthy Rich Handbook. Workman Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-7611-4703-9.
  7. "Speaker | Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  8. Schmitt, Jeff (2017-05-07). "2017 Best MBAs: John Kluge, Babson College (F.W. Olin)". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  9. "Why Parents Must Be On Top of Their Kids' Online Escapades". HuffPost. 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  10. Brunwasser, John (February 10, 2010). "How Syd Mendelbaum and Rock and Wrap It Up! Fight Hunger". Op Ed News. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  11. Olson, Nancy. "Peerless Fonderie 47 Pen Funds Destruction Of AK-47s". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  12. "This "Philanthropunk" Heir Has a Big Goal: A Toilet in Every Home". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  13. III, Nate Delesline. "Kluge heir to talk toilets at TEDx". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  14. "Media Titan's Son Paves Path to Profit for Refugee Entrepreneurs". Bloomberg.com. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  15. College, Babson. "Babson College Announces Presidential Search Process". www.babson.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  16. "Confronting the Global Forced Migration Crisis" (PDF). Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  17. "Confronting the Global Forced Migration Crisis". www.csis.org. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  18. Jenkins, Kate. "John Kluge Talks 'Charity And Philanthropy For Dummies'". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  19. "Charity and Philanthropy For Dummies Karl Muth, Michael Lindenmayer and John Kluge". Alliance magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  20. "The Difference You Can Make - John Kluge: Stories". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  21. BRAGG, MICHAEL. "Kluge, UVa professor part of unique effort to help refugees". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  22. "Christine Mahoney". Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  23. "Win-Win-Win: Professor's Plan Seeks to Benefit Refugees, Hosts – and Investors". UVA Today. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  24. "Local philanthropist proposes raising a "Bandera Monumental" on edge of Trump Winery". www.cvilletomorrow.org. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  25. Fabrikant, Geraldine (2017-04-07). "Patricia Kluge's Third Act Is Sparkly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  26. "Donald Trump buys Patricia Kluge's mansion for bargain price of $6.5 million; now owns entire estate". The Washington Post. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  27. "'Truth Farm' installation near Trump Winery hopes to spark broader conversations about immigration". www.cvilletomorrow.org. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.