About Us | Benefunder

An aligned intermediary for impact through emerging breakthroughs

Following a pediatric health scare in the founder’s family, it became clear how inefficient and misaligned the private funding paradigm was for supporting outcomes that would help other families facing similar challenges. It became apparent that those very same issues were ubiquitous across all cause areas and that dissatisfaction with the experience was not isolated.





Benefunder started as a non-profit and gradually evolved to a for-profit social enterprise in order to leverage the attributes of scale and alignment with the existing ecosystem.

2022

Primary Hub for Innovation & Impact for Family Office & Foundations

2020

Launch of Benefunder Capital Markets

  • 750 Researchers
  • 12 Institutions
2019

Lab to Market Funding Solutions for the Valley of Opportunity. Addition of capital markets capability

  • $2M in funding placed to date
  • (oct) first investment placed
  • (nov) first round launced
  • (Dec) b-corp registration
2017

For-profit platform integrated with 3rd Party; DAFs and Private Foundations:

  • $1M investment capital raised
  • Approved on UBS FAS platform
  • First Private Foundation client
  • $1.5M in research funding placed
2016

For-profit platform integrated w 3rd Party; DAFs and Private Foundations

  • 250 Researchers
  • 7 Institutions
  • Partnered with 4 DAF Administrators
2014

Donor Advised Fund Solution aimed at worthy research ventures in need of funding (non-profit, no ROI):  

  • Non-profit funding vehicle for research
  • 500 Researchers
  • 5 Institutions
2013

Christian’s Nephew Diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma

Today, Benefunder is a resource for funders, researchers, and entrepreneurs alike. We’re a multiplier for access, efficiency, and engagement accelerating the impact mandates of our clients while providing a viable alternative funding source for innovators.

We’re a mission driven organization designed to support the innovation ecosystem by providing unprecedented access, efficiency, and engagement for funders and innovators. Aligned agents of impact leveraging financial ingenuity, technology, and networks to support discovery through scaling of emerging breakthroughs.


Evolution

The Benefunder team is comprised of seasoned veterans from Wall Street and Silicon Valley with over 85 years of philanthropic, investment, data technology, operations, and impact experience. Our backgrounds span wealth management, investment banking, global banking data services as well as startups and non-profits.

Executive Team
Founder
Christian Braemer

Christian’s background is a unique combination of global wealth management. entrepreneurship, and non-profit experience. 
Christian is responsible for the mission and growth of Benefunder.  

Founder
Tom Paparatto

Tom is a pioneer in the data and information industry having a wealth of experience building information businesses and monetizing data assets in the financial services sector.

CTO
Steve Adler

Steve is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years in successful high technology and software development industry creating solutions in the fintech, connected device, cloud-based media, SOA microservices, streaming video, IoT, Blockchain, AI and app ecosystems.

Director
Aaron Morgan J.D.

Aaron serves as in-house counsel as well as in operational and analyst roles with Benefunder. Aaron has experience leading large teams, as an entrepreneur, investor, and IP lawyer, which he leverages in support of our client in a multitude of facets.

BOARD
Founder
Christian Braemer

Christian’s background is a unique combination of global wealth management. entrepreneurship, and non-profit experience. 
Christian is responsible for the mission and growth of Benefunder.  

Board Member
Reid Carr

Having focused on multi-channel, integrated marketing for nearly 20 years, Reid Carr is the CEO of award-winning marketing transformation agency, Red Door Interactive. He also sits on the boards of several corporations and nonprofits across several industry sectors.

Board
Ake Persson

With more than 3 decades in executive positions in the global telecom and information’s technology industry, most recently as the President of Ericsson Wireless Communications Inc., Ake serves across industry sectors as CEO advisor and board member.

Advisory Board
Advisor
Dina Shoman

Founder & CEO at InherQuests and Nahji

Advisor
Jim Patrick

Group President Envestnet|PMC at Envestnet, Inc and SVP at The Clark Estates

CTO
Steve Adler

Steve is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years in successful high technology and software development industry creating solutions in the fintech, connected device, cloud-based media, SOA microservices, streaming video, IoT, Blockchain, AI and app ecosystems.

Advisor
Roger Arnemann

Chief Product Officer | Chief Operating Officer

Advisor
Mike Dorsey

Independent Investor and Advisor

Advisor
Charles Froland

CEO at Performance Equity

Advisor
Beth Sirull

President/CEO, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego

Advisor
Gert Lanckriet PhD

Head of Machine Learning @ Amazon Music

Advisor
Petr Johanes PhD

Petr brings a unique perspective to the Benefunder executive team having served as a researcher, venture capital analyst, and on the investment team for his own family office. He has an innate ability to analyze a situation and quickly identify and communicate actionable opportunities and challenges.

Advisor
Sandra Familet

Sandy serves as Co-CIO for her family office and ED of their foundation. She previously played a pivotal role in Blackrock’s meteoric growth from inception to IPO and was one of the first female executives at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. She’s an associate with The Milken Foundation/Faster Cures, a fellow of The Aspen Institute, one of the earliest supporters of both The Robin Hood Foundation and TED.

Advisor
Darren Lipomi PhD

Professor at University of California San Diego

Advisor
Richard Swart PhD

Richard advises family offices in alternative finance, technology assessment, and strategy. He is recognized as a global thought leader on FinTech and was recently appointed Fellow in Emerging Technology at UC Irvine. Richard advises the Gates Foundation, and works with several other prominent foundations, think tanks, funds and corporations.

Advisor
Karen Landry

Managing Director at Silver Leaf Partners

Advisor
Jonathan Ozeran

Jonathan is a product and operations leader, company builder, investor and advisor. He has assembled, scaled and led product, design, software engineering, hardware engineering and machine learning teams across numerous financing stages (pre-seed through Series G-2).

Advisor
Sarah Griego Cooch

Sarah is Head of Private Wealth and Family Investments for a private family office and has deep experience advising individuals, family offices, and foundations on strategic philanthropy and impact investment.