First Principles Forum
About
Founded in 2019 by Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and Bloomberg Beta, the First Principles Forum convenes founders, early employees, and investors in the technology sector with access to resources from recent IPOs or company acquisitions to advance and challenge their thinking on giving and impact.
The driving question was: How can we as leaders in tech align our values in every sphere of our lives, so we can effectively deploy all of our resources — money, time, skills, influence — for impact?
As of Fall 2025, the First Principles Forum community is no longer accepting new members. Instead, Stanford PACS has partnered with two other similar communities – Forward Global and Founders Pledge – to transition our current Forum members and continue offering services needed to make the greatest impact possible in members’ lifetimes and beyond. For more details about how to join these two organizations, please visit their websites and contact their teams.
Community
Our members are current or former senior leaders in these and other companies:
Goals
Knowledge and Insights
To challenge and advance your thinking on philanthropic giving, political investing, and for-profit investing from experts in their field
Resources
To provide practical resources and tools to take next steps
Community
To create a community of like-minded peers, learning and taking action together