Eric Braverman
Co-Founder, Telescope
For the past half-decade, he served as the founding CEO of Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative that bets early on exceptional people solving hard problems in science and society. Prior to creating Schmidt Futures, Eric oversaw all philanthropic and non-investment efforts and directed the family office.
In his role at Schmidt Futures, Eric launched and led a large number of philanthropic programs. Some of the achievements of Schmidt Futures and its partners during his tenure include creation of a $1 billion philanthropic commitment to talent development across all Schmidt initiatives; more than $400 million of initiatives specifically advancing artificial intelligence (AI) for social good; the Quad Fellowship program for STEM talent, together with the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States; the largest single-country scholarship program in the world for refugees; and a wide range of efforts to support innovation in science and technology worldwide — leading to billions of dollars of public and private support for efforts such as universal broadband, household electrification, organ donation, earth system modeling, and carbon removal.
At the Clinton Foundation, Eric led an effort to secure an endowment, develop infrastructure to support best-in-class operating practices, improve strategic planning and financial management, strengthen Board governance and internal controls, and use data effectively. During his tenure from 2013 to 2015, Charity Navigator awarded the Foundation a perfect score for transparency and accountability.
At McKinsey, Eric was the global leader of McKinsey’s work on government innovation and an expert on the transformation of complex institutions. In a career at the Firm from 1997 to 2013, he counseled heads of state and former presidents, cabinet secretaries, civil service officials, and business leaders in media, entertainment, and technology. Eric also served as an advisor on performance management for President Obama’s transition team in 2008.
Eric has taught at Yale since 2012 on public leadership matters including ethics, innovation, and global competitiveness through science and technology. His classes have been offered at the Yale Law School, Yale School of Management, and Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, and he has been a member of the Jackson Board of Advisors since 2019.
Eric is a member of YPO and the New York State Bar, and serves on the boards of America’s Frontier Fund, the ASPCA, Ready Games, Arena Stage, and other organizations. He also served as co-chair of the Families & Workers Fund to provide emergency relief to those hit hardest by COVID-19 and to create more higher-paying jobs for American workers.
Eric lives in Washington, D.C., with his husband Neil Brown.
