April 24, 2024

Innovation at the Intersection of Venture and Nonprofits with Alice Pomponio, Managing Director BrightEdge - American Cancer Society

How does a nonprofit innovate and scale its mission? Joining me today is Alice Pomponio, Managing Director of BrightEdge, the venture arm of the American Cancer Society, to discuss the intersection of venture capital and nonprofit work. Is this approach a unique case, or part of a new wave of strategies catalyzing the defeat of cancer and other societal challenges?

Episode Highlights

  • BrightEdge, the innovation and venture capital arm of the American Cancer Society (ACS), aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and practical application, creating a new funding source for the nonprofit.
  • ACS has allocated over $5 billion to 25,000 researchers and 50 Nobel laureates, significantly influencing global cancer research.
  • Capitalizing on the ACS’s extensive partnership network and volume of grants, BrightEdge enhances its deal flow and supports innovative cancer care solutions, ranging from therapeutics to care delivery.
  • The newly announced Texas Accelerator by ACS highlights the strategic importance of the region in advancing national cancer research efforts, leveraging local capabilities, and enhancing ACS's impact through innovative cancer care approaches.
  • What's Next?
    • "Bright Edge is investing in innovation for impact. So we are really excited about reporting on our impact performance. We're excited about the accelerators taking flight and we're excited about building community"

Alice Pomponio: LinkedIn, X/Twitter
BrightEdge:
Website, LinkedIn


-------------------
Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
Ecosystem Metacognition Substack

Most Recent Episodes

Feb. 19, 2025

Rewriting Biopharma's Playbook with Mallory Factor, Founder and CEO I…

A unicorn biopharma that ignores the traditional playbook, breaks development speed records, and chose Austin over the traditional biotech hubs. Mallory Factor, Founder and CEO of IntraBio, joins us to share how his Oxford-b...

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 13, 2025

Engineering Agency, Innovation, and Ecosystems with Gena Gorlin

A coffee conversation turned into a deep exploration and personal obsession about how we shape our world and how it shapes us. I had to invite my partner in that conversation, Dr. Gena Gorlin, on to the podcast to bring …

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 24, 2025

Austin4America Rises From SXSW's Military Sponsor Ban with Luke Fisch…

Last June, SXSW announced they would no longer allow military and defense companies as sponsors. This sparked strong reactions from Austin's defense tech community, with one of those reactions leading to the creation of Austi...

Listen to the Episode