Robert Rosenkranz
Private equity investor Robert Rosenkranz calls himself a 'selfish philanthropist.' He even devoted a whole chapter of his new book, The Stoic Capitalist, to this concept. 'The best form of philanthropy, to me, is when you use your talents, skills, and strategic insights to bring into being something that you feel society needs and could benefit from,' he says.
That ambition led Rosenkranz, chairman of Delphi Capital Management, via his Rosenkranz Foundation to found his most well-known philanthropic endeavour: Open to Debate. Appetite for the program's nonpartisan high-profile debates surged last year, with more than six million people watching former Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy and journalist Mehdi Hasan answer the question: 'Were Israel's Actions in the Gaza War Justified?' The platform also took on the presidential debates, working with Princeton University on a series of recommendations (read more than three million times so far) to strengthen the format.
Other recent initiatives include founding Canyon, a cultural institution planned for New York City's Lower East Side that will showcase immersive works of visual art, music, and technology. Partnering with Saudi Arabia's Hevolution Foundation, Rosenkranz also provided $5 million of a total $10 million in grants for research on aging and longevity, which helped fund a study of worms that resulted in a significant extension of the organism's lifespan. 'If we can push off the diseases of old age, the reduction in physical strength or mental acuity that occurs, by 10 or 15 years, that seems to me the greatest gift to human flourishing that science can bestow,' Rosenkranz says.
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