Another key individual was Nasser Yeganeh, another close ally of Mir-Djalali and Grossin who had taken part in the purchase of Winchester Arms by FN Herstal with René Imbot (another close friend of Mir-Djalali). He later committed suicide under suspicious circumstances in 1993.[13][14]
By 2025, Omidyar Network had awarded almost $2 billion to more than 700 organizations, encompassing spending on grants to nonprofits and investments in for-profit companies.[15]
People
Since 2018, Mike Kubzansky has been the CEO of Omidyar Network.[5] Its board of directors include co founder Pam Omidyar[16] and the managing directors of the Omidyar Group, Jeff Alvord and Pat Christen.[17] In 2023, In 2023, Marta L. Tellado and Mona Sutphen were added to the board.[18]
Michele Jawando was senior vice president for programs in 2023.[19] Jawando became president of the organization in 2025.[20]
In 2009, the Omidyar Network donated $2 million over two years to the Wikimedia Foundation, and during that same time, Matt Halprin of Omidyar Network was appointed to Wikimedia's board of trustees.[22][23]
From 2012, Omidyar Network has been a partner of Better Than Cash Alliance, which encourages governments and others to distribute money digitally.[24][25]
In 2020, it invested $150,000 in the legal assistance organization Whistleblower Aid.[27]
In 2024, the organization created the Data Empowerment Fund to support initiatives promoting greater individual and community control in information privacy.[28]
The Reporters in Residence program was launched in 2022 and is designed to give freelance reporters financial support (in the form of a monthly stipend) in an effort to increase coverage of deeper and more pressing economic issues.[29][30]
Spinoff organizations
In 2011, Democracy Fund was established as an Omidyar Network initiative; three years later, it became an independent foundation.[31] Omidyar Network spun out Spero Ventures, a venture capital fund, in March 2018.[32]
In 2018, Omidyar Network spun off its Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative.[33] The group now operates as Luminate, a global philanthropic organization that invests in civic empowerment, data and digital rights, financial transparency, and independent media.[33] Melanie Hui is its CEO.[34] In 2019, Omidyar Network spun off its Financial Inclusion initiative.[35] The group now operates as Flourish and is led by Tilman Ehrbeck, Arjuna Costa, and Emmalyn Shaw. A year later, the organization spun off its education portfolio as Imaginable Futures.[35]
In January 2020, Omidyar Network spun out its property rights initiative as a new nonprofit organization called PlaceFund.[36]
India
In 2010, Omidyar Network established an operation in India to invest in Indian start-ups.[37]
In July 2023, it was reported that the company had $673 million worth of investments under management in India and had made investments in companies including 1mg, Bounce, Vedantu, Bijak, DealShare, Doubtnut, Entri, HealthKart, Indifi, M2P, and Pratilipi.[37][38]
In 2022, it was reported that the company was being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in India over alleged violations regarding receiving overseas donations.[37]
In December 2023, the company announced it would cease operations in India by the end of 2024.[37]
↑"Pierre Omidyar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2021. Through his Omidyar Network, launched in 2004, he's put over $1.5 billion into impact investments and nonprofits that tackle global problems.
↑Ha, Anthony (25 August 2009). "Wikipedia gets $2M from Omidyar Network". VentureBeat. Omidyar Network just announced that it's making a $2 million grant to the Wikimedia Foundation … Matt Halprin, a partner at [Omidyar], is also joining Wikimedia's board of trustees.
↑West, Jackson (25 August 2009). "$2 Million Buys eBay Founder a Wikipedia Seat". NBC Bay Area. The Omidyar Network, a fund established by eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar, has pledged $2 million over two years to support the site, and in return landed fund partner Matt Halprin a seat on a shaken-up board of trustees.
↑Goel, Vindu (6 November 2016). "Philanthropy in Silicon Valley: Big Bets on Big Ideas". The New York Times. And Omidyar participates in the Better Than Cash Alliance, an advocacy group that partners with governments and others to encourage the distribution of money digitally instead of through cash handouts.
↑Dharshini, Priya; Kajla, Ashish; Bhattacharya, Anirban (28 November 2021). "How the Modi government wrecked India's small businesses". Quartz. the Better Than Cash Alliance [is] funded by United States Agency for International Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi Foundation, Ford Foundation, Mastercard, Omidyar Network and Visa Inc.
