Defy Ventures

Defy’s long-term goal is to put itself out of business by ending mass incarceration. We are crazy driven to level the playing field and to bring redemptive opportunities to America’s biggest underdogs. Our hatred of injustice fuels our impatience. We have a plan to scale to 21 new Chapters in the next six years, and to serve 10,000 incarcerated men, women, and youth in the next three years. America is touted as the land of opportunity and second chances—a land of liberty and justice for all. But this isn’t the case for the 100 million Americans with criminal histories, who remain permanently stigmatized. Today, 30% of 23-year-olds have records. Defy Ventures is a national entrepreneurship, employment, and character development training program that recognizes the potential in many former drug dealers and gang leaders to become successful, legal entrepreneurs. We “transform the hustle” of our formerly incarcerated Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs) by offering intensive leadership development, Shark Tank-style business pitch competitions, executive mentoring, financial investment, and startup incubation. We build a life-giving, authentic community between EITs and our executive volunteers as they bond in their humanity through their collaboration along the entrepreneurial journey. Leveraging technology, we’ve created a “blended learning” model that holds the promise of scaling globally to revitalize the most underserved communities. We combine video-based training with in-person mentoring and events. Our online instructors include underdog-loving influencers like Randy Komisar (Kleiner Perkins), Tim Draper (Founder, Draper Fisher Jurvetson), Duncan Niederauer (CEO, NYSE), five Harvard Business School professors, two Stanford Business School professors, and Seth Godin (marketing guru). Since its founding in 2010, Defy has served 1,700+ EITs across 18 states and 20 correctional facilities, and engaged 3,500+ executive volunteers. Defy has incubated 150 of its graduates’ companies, which in turn have created more than 350 employment opportunities for people in their communities. Grads report a 95% employment rate, and Defy’s recidivism rate to date is less than 5%. (Nationally, 76.6% of people are rearrested within five years of release). Defy has earned the trust of funders like Grace and Mercy Foundation, Kapor Center for Social Impact, Peery Foundation, David Weekley Family Foundation, Porticus Foundation, Sorenson Impact Foundation, Techstars Foundation, Google, eBay, TD Bank, Capital One, Bloomberg, LinkedIn, Yelp, and American Express. Defy has been showcased in national media including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, The Harvard Business Review, and Tech Crunch.