As the co-founder of Flickr, and the CEO of Slack, Stewart Butterfield is no stranger to success. So it is exciting to hear that one of Canada’s most prominent entrepreneurs is making the effort to give back to the next generation.
Speaking at Science World British Columbia’s annual Equity Giving event last week in Vancouver, Butterfield pledged personal shares of Slack to help foster science literacy in British Columbia.
“We are thrilled to have Stewart join the Science World Equity Giving community through a personal pledge of shares in Slack,” said Jennifer Ingham, Vice President, Development for Science World. “This type of philanthropy is not only an easy way for entrepreneurs and early-stage startups to give back to the community, it has the potential to make a huge impact on the children, families and communities that Science World serves throughout BC.”
Science World British Columbia is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting future science and technology leadership throughout the province. Each year, over 500,000 people visit the Vancouver science centre, with an additional 200,000 students, teachers and residents reached across BC via travelling initiatives. The Equity Giving program allows investors or startup founders to donate equity in their company to Science World, which relies upon donations for 30% of its operating budget.
Related: This Guy’s No Slacker: In Conversation with Slack’s Stewart Butterfield