Josh and Rena Kopelman
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Founder of Half.com, co-founder of First Round Capital
FUNDING AREAS: Educational programs and youth, healthcare and medicine, Jewish programs
OVERVIEW: Venture capitalist Josh Kopelman and his wife Rena do their grantmaking through the Philadelphia-based Kopelman Foundation, which was established in 2001. The couple are particularly interested in "projects that have not attracted a lot of attention and therefore have previously received limited financial support." They have a strong interest in education and youth, with a component of this philanthropy involving support for youth entrepreneurship. Other priorities include assorted health and Jewish causes. A lot of grantmaking involves the Philadelphia area, where the couple lives.
BACKGROUND: Josh Kopelman attended Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1992, while a student, he co-founded Infonautics Corporation. In 1999, he founded Half.com, an online marketplace for used books, movies and music that was eventually acquired by eBay for $350 million. Kopelman also co-founded First Round Capital in 2004, and has invested in companies such as Linkedin and Uber. Rena Kopelman holds MBA and law degrees.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: The Kopelman’s recent education funding has mainly gone to organizations serving students in the greater Philadelphia area. Through their foundation, the Kopelman’s have provided ongoing support to the Philadelphia-based Coded by Kids, which provides computer science education to underserved students between the ages of 12 and 18. The couple has also given to the Philadelphia Schools Project and educational programs run by the Please Touch Museum. In New York, the Kopelman Foundation has supported City College.
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Kopelmans do not name specific goals for their health funding. Grantmaking has supported the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, the Dysautonomia Foundation and Pennsylvania’s Lankenau Medical Center.
JEWISH CAUSES: Rena Kopelman has served as the chair of policy, strategy and funding at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The couple is engaged in supporting a variety of Jewish programs in the Philadelphia area. Grantees include the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, the Jewish Relief Agency and the Jack M. Barack Hebrew Academy, among others.
LOOKING FORWARD: Kopelman is only in his 40s and so his grantmaking may increase in the future. It is worth mentioning that Kopelman's wife, Rena, has been involved in women’s entrepreneurship programs, which may become an area of grantmaking interest in coming years.
CONTACT:
Kopelman Foundation
2400 Market Street, No. 237
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(610) 680-4200
