Chris and Crystal Sacca
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Lowercase Capital
FUNDING AREAS: Health, Justice, Clean Water, Women & Girls, TBD
OVERVIEW: Chris and Crystal Sacca recently signed the Giving Pledge. They don’t yet appear to have a formal charitable vehicle but state in their letter that they have an interest in “bold and ambitious efforts to ensure health, justice, and opportunity for all of humanity and the planet we share.”
BACKGROUND: Chris Sacca graduated with his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University. He started out as an attorney in Silicon Valley and later was Head of Special Initiatives at Google, Inc. Sacca began angel investing in 2006 and launched venture capital firm Lowercase Capital, which made early bets investing in Twitter and Uber. Sacca also invested in Twilio. In 2017, Sacca announced he was retiring from venture capital to launch a podcast, act on TV shows and raise his children.
Crystal English Sacca graduated from Georgetown University. She worked as an advertising creative early in her career. She went on to be a partner and Chief Creative Officer at Lowercase Capital, where she co-led early investments in companies including Uber and Blue Bottle Coffee.
ISSUES:
PHILANTHROPY: The Saccas do not yet appear to have a charitable vehicle. However, they have been public about causes that interest them including health, justice, the environment, and fostering opportunity. Crystal grew up in Mauritania, The Gambia, Swaziland, Japan, and India. Sacca, meanwhile, writes on his giving page that “My life today would not have been remotely possible without access to clean water, robust public education, healthcare, government creation and nurturing of the Internet, federally funded research and science, and the talents of brilliant people from literally around the world, including immigrants of virtually every race, ethnicity, and faith.”
The couple have been involved with places like charity:water, the Bail Project, ACLU, the Nature Conservancy, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Code for America, Donorschoose, Global Citizen Year, Team Rubicon Disaster Response, and Yellowstone Community Foundation. Away from their Bay Area residence, the couple also take up residence in Montana.
LOOKING FORWARD: Sacca family philanthropy is just kicking off, but with Sacca stepping away from business, this is a funder to watch for much greater giving down the line.
LINKS: Chris Sacca Giving Page
