Rise to meet the moment

com·mon·weal
/ˈkämənˌwēl/
The common welfare; The public good.

Our country faces great challenges, from competition with China and public safety to climate change and a broken healthcare system. These challenges provide immense opportunities for entrepreneurs with bold ideas. Founders can best seize these opportunities by partnering with government. Governments enable scale, fund innovation, determine market standards, tax, and regulate.

While some see government as a roadblock, we know first-hand that working with government can unlock value. We focus on business models that can tap this potential. Our team combines venture investors with experienced public officials, from former Cabinet members to mayors, offering you an asymmetric advantage in some of the world’s largest markets.

Kitchen Cabinet

Commonweal’s senior advisors help you build government partnerships that unlock value.
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Carol Browner
Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change under President Obama
Full Bio
Powering our Energy Future
Steve Adler
Former Mayor of Austin, Texas
Full Bio
Modernizing Government
Edward Davis
Former Police Commissioner of Boston, Massachusetts
Full Bio
Defending the Homeland

Zero to One Mentors

Unicorn founders helping the next generation. Backed by the best investors in the world.
John Gedmark
Co-Founder and CEO of Astranis, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, BlackRock, Venrock and Y Combinator
Full Bio
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Evan Smith
Co-Founder and CEO of Altana, backed by US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Google Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures
Full Bio
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Nate Levine
Co-Founder and CTO of OpenGov, backed by 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, and Founders Fund.
Full Bio
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National Advisory Network

Across industries and geographies, our advisors are here to help you win.
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Laura Fox
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Streetlife Ventures, formerly Lyft’s general manager for CitiBike
Full Bio
New York
Transportation & Logistics
Energy
Anthony Foxx
17th US Secretary of Transportation under President Obama and the 54th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
Full Bio
Florida & Southeast
Transportation & Logistics
Government & Law
Abe Goldschmidt
House Office of American Innovation Oracle
Full Bio
Florida & Southeast
Public Safety
Financial Services
Health
Defense & Aerospace
Jason Haider
Founder and CEO, Xenco Medical
Full Bio
California
Health
Marty Hall
Chief of Staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for President George Bush. Deputy Staff Director and Senior Policy Advisor for the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Full Bio
Washington DC
Energy
Kathy Hannun
Co-Founder and President of Dandelion Energy, backed by Google Ventures, CollabFund, LenX, NEA and National Grid Partners
Full Bio
California
Energy
Brad Hargreaves
Co-Founder of General Assembly, Thesis Driven and Common, backed by investors including Bezos Expeditions, 8VC and Fifth Wall
Full Bio
New York
Real Estate
Financial Services
Scot Horst
Former Chief Product Officer for the US Green Building Council
Full Bio
Washington DC
Real Estate
Energy
Jesse Horwitz
Co-Founder of Agora Brands , Co-Founder and former Co-CEO of Hubble Contacts
Full Bio
New York
Financial Services
Energy
Jerry Hyman
Former CEO of TriMark USA
Full Bio
Boston
Manufacturing
Agriculture
Our team draws from

In the Press

New York Times
Let’s Build a Climate Wall of Shame
The Atlantic
How America Wasted Its Most Powerful Economic Weapon
Featuring
Eddie Fishman
Associated Press
Forget saving the planet. Clean energy interests sharpen a different message: Money and jobs
Featuring
Bob Inglis
View All Press