Kindred, an events startup focused on accelerating sustainable, purpose-led business transformation, co-founded by Deep Focus founder Ian Schafer and Shoptalk founder Anil Aggarwal, announced today that it has secured an additional $5.2 million in funding in a seed round led by Primary Venture Partners. They are joined by notable investors such as Lerer Hippeau, NextView Ventures, Human Ventures, Able Partners, the founders of Warby Parker, Harry's, and Allbirds, the founders of Casper (Neil Parikh and Philip Krim), and NFL player Ndamukong Suh.

Kindred's inaugural flagship event will be Kindred 2020, held at the San Diego Convention Center on May 11-14, 2020. The event will gather more than 2,000 business, nonprofit, and cultural leaders to take action, transform, and grow their businesses and relationships for a world that is demanding more responsibility and accountability.

Kindred 2020 will boast a lineup of over 150 prominent speakers from companies including Acorns, Andreesen Horowitz, B-Labs, Ben & Jerry's, Bombas, Bravely, Diane von Furstenberg, Dole, eBay, Good Money, HBO, Procter & Gamble, Publicis Groupe, TOMS, WarnerMedia, and WW. Featured nonprofits will include Comic Relief, St. Jude, and UNICEF. Attendees will also hear from cultural leaders including Chance the Rapper.

Ian Schafer, co-founder and chief executive officer of Kindred, stated, "as business leaders continue to emphasize their commitments to their stakeholders (employees, customers, and communities), the time is right for what we are building. We couldn't have asked for a more dedicated, more strategic group of investors to be with us on this journey. Each of them brings a commitment to social impact and to doing business with purpose. With their help, we'll be able to bring communities of leaders together in productive environments that move all of us forward, in even bigger, bolder ways."

"Kindred is well-positioned and perfectly timed to help businesses and brands meet a new bar for consumer expectations around purpose and impact," said Ben Lerer, managing partner at Lerer Hippeau. "We're confident that, with Kindred, Ian and Anil will add momentum to this movement through community, events, tools, and resources that empower stakeholders to work together and build more responsible and accountable businesses in the years to come."

"We have seen the rise of corporate functions in fields such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion, Social Impact and Philanthropy," added Ben Sun, general partner at Primary Venture Partners. "We are beyond pleased to support Ian and Anil as they build an impactful way for these leaders to learn, collaborate and transform their companies to be more purpose-led."

"At Human Ventures we know that investing in people and placing humans at the center of innovation will unlock the greatest value in the years to come. What Ian and the team at Kindred are building will drive business forward from a human perspective," said Heather Hartnett, chief executive officer and founding partner of Human Ventures. "We invest in people who see the world as it will be in five to 10 years. They don't look at what is in front of them this quarter or next, but rather skate where the puck is going. That is where you can find the Kindred team."

NFL star Ndamukong Suh added, "Throughout my career, I've made it a priority to be an active business leader who not only helps others be more successful but also helps them make a greater impact in their communities. As I learned more about Kindred, I realized that this community and event could truly change the world by changing the way the world does business-and I knew that was something I needed to be a part of."

About Kindred

Kindred builds communities and events that enable brands, nonprofits, and cultural leaders to accelerate sustainable, purpose-led business transformation. Kindred's inaugural event, Kindred 2020, will happen May 11-14 at the San Diego Convention Center.