{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Venture Capitalist Who Wants You to Donate More to Charity","description":"Nick Cooney is one of the most prolific investors in food and ag tech. As the founder of Lever VC, he\u2019s helped deploy nearly $80 million from his first fund and has now closed more than $50 million toward his second $100 million fund. He\u2019s backed companies across the spectrum of sustainable protein\u2014plant-based meat, cultivated meat, fermentation-derived proteins (including, in full disclosure, my own company, The Better Meat Co.), and more. But despite his deep roots in venture capital, Nick\u2019s latest project is about something very different: giving money away with no expectation of any financial return. In his new book, What We Don\u2019t Do: Inaction in the Face of Suffering and the Drive to Do More, from Simon & Schuster and Regalo Press, Nick challenges the reader with a bold moral argument: it\u2019s not enough to simply avoid doing harm\u2014we have a responsibility to proactively reduce suffering where we can, including suffering we didn\u2019t cause. That includes using our time, our talents, and yes, our money, to help others\u2014especially those we\u2019ll never meet. So how much should we be giving? While philosopher Peter Singer proposes 10% of your income as a moral benchmark, and Jesus went even further, telling his followers to sell everything and give to the poor, Nick stakes out a middle ground somewhere between Singer and Jesus of Nazareth: give until you feel it. Not until it hurts, necessarily\u2014but enough that it makes a noticeable impact on your life. Because that impact could be life-changing\u2014or even life-saving\u2014for someone else. In this episode, Nick and I dive into the ideas behind What We Don\u2019t Do, and why our inactions\u2014what we don\u2019t do\u2014may be among the biggest sources of preventable suffering in the world. We explore the psychology behind why it feels easier to forgive inaction than harmful action, and how we can train ourselves to think differently. We also discuss the current state of the alt-protein industry, Nick's analysis of why venture capital has cooled off on the space in recent years, and what it\u2019ll take to bring investors back to the table. It\u2019s a rich and rewarding conversation with one of the most influential thinkers in the future of food. I found What We Don\u2019t Do to be both thought-provoking and motivating, and I think you\u2019ll feel the same. Whether you're a founder, a funder, or just someone who wants to do a little\u2014or a lot\u2014more good in the world, this episode is for you. ","author_name":"Business for Good Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/www.businessforgoodpodcast.com\/","html":"