Rise to meet the moment

com·mon·weal
/ˈkämənˌwēl/
The common welfare; The public good.

Our country faces great challenges, from competition with China and public safety to climate change and a broken healthcare system. These challenges provide immense opportunities for entrepreneurs with bold ideas. Founders can best seize these opportunities by partnering with government. Governments enable scale, fund innovation, determine market standards, tax, and regulate.

While some see government as a roadblock, we know first-hand that working with government can unlock value. We focus on business models that can tap this potential. Our team combines venture investors with experienced public officials, from former Cabinet members to mayors, offering you an asymmetric advantage in some of the world’s largest markets.

Kitchen Cabinet

Commonweal’s senior advisors help you build government partnerships that unlock value.
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Neil Chatterjee
Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) during President Trump’s first term
Full Bio
Powering our Energy Future
James Connaughton
Former Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Bush
Full Bio
Powering our Energy Future
Steve Koch
Deputy Mayor of Chicago under Mayor Emanuel
Full Bio
Modernizing Government

Zero to One Mentors

Unicorn founders helping the next generation. Backed by the best investors in the world.
John Gedmark
Co-Founder and CEO of Astranis, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, BlackRock, Venrock and Y Combinator
Full Bio
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Evan Smith
Co-Founder and CEO of Altana, backed by US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Google Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures
Full Bio
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Nate Levine
Co-Founder and CTO of OpenGov, backed by 8VC, Andreessen Horowitz, and Founders Fund.
Full Bio
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National Advisory Network

Across industries and geographies, our advisors are here to help you win.
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Jeffrey Schub
Head of Sustainability, leads enterprise-wide efforts at Wells Fargo
Full Bio
New York
Financial Services
Energy
Basil Seggos
Former Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Full Bio
New York
Government & Law
Energy
Agriculture
Public Safety
Defense & Aerospace
Noah Shaw
Former General Counsel at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and former Senior Advisor at the US Department of Energy
Full Bio
New York
Government & Law
Energy
Chris Slevin
Former Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce
Full Bio
Washington DC
Government & Law
Manufacturing
Erica Smiley
Executive Director of Jobs With Justice
Full Bio
Washington DC
Government & Law
Health
Manufacturing
Alan Solow
National Co-Chair of the 2012 Obama-Biden campaign, charter member of the 2008 and 2012 Obama Finance Committees
Full Bio
Chicago
Government & Law
David Spielfogel
Former Chief Policy and Communications Officer at Lime, Former Senior Advisor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Full Bio
Chicago
Transportation & Logistics
Government & Law
Shanna Tellerman
Founder and CEO of Modsy (now Lennar), current Chief Product Officer at Lennar
Full Bio
California
Real Estate
Curt von Braun
Former Technical Director of Raytheon’s U.S. Navy and Allied Maritime Portfolio
Full Bio
Boston
Defense & Aerospace
Mike Wagers
Chief Customer Officer at Axon
Full Bio
Government & Law
Public Safety
Our team draws from