After ending his presidential campaign last month, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur has founded a new nonprofit organization called Humanity Forward. It aims to advance his policy proposals such as universal basic income, human centered capitalism and data as a property right.
“We knew we wanted to keep the movement growing, the only question was what form that would take,” Yang said on Wednesday in an interview with the New York Times. Prior to running for president, he also ran Venture for America, a nonprofit dedicated to helping train recent college graduates in entrepreneurship.
According to Yang, Humanity Forward has already received $3 million in pledges for pilot initiatives that would provide people with a universal basic income each month.
The New York Times reports that venture capitalist Albert Wenger and entrepreneur Susan Danzinger have collectively pledged $500,000 for a trial in a town in New York State yet to be selected, and professional poker player Daniel Negreanu has committed t$100,000 for additional test runs. Other contributors are reported to be anonymous.
While Yang was able to share his ideas during the presidential campaign, he noted that his new organization would be an opportunity to put some of his policy ideas directly into practice.
“I have to say I’m super excited about it,” Yang told The New York Times. “My hands were tied as a political candidate to some extent. And now I get to work.”
Humanity Forward will utilize mediums such as podcasts and high-impact events to advance the ideas popularized during his democratic campaign, according to the organization’s website.
According to the New York Times, Michael Bloomberg’s campaign reached out after Yang concluded his bid for the presidency to offer counsel for a potential mayoral bid.
Yang said he would not rule a mayoral campaign out, but expressed that his current priority is establishing Humanity Forward.
“I’m just about solving problems,” he said. “I would want to see who else is running and what the world looks like. I just want to put myself in the position to have the greatest possible impact.”
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