Through his growth-focused investment platform GSV (Global Silicon Valley), Michael Moe has invested in disruptors such as Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify. GSV also has several funds that target the digital learning sector, with investments in platforms such as Masterclass.
But Moe is thinking much bigger. He wants to redefine capitalism. And he’s collaborating with SMU to help spark change through a “Mission Summit.”
The sold-out conference kicked off May 22 with an opening discussion featuring Moe, Minerva Project chairman and CEO Ben Nelson, and Rob Kaplan, former president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. It continues through Wednesday, with a jam-packed lineup of presentations and panel discussions.
Participants include Clark Hunt, CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs; Avery Johnson, partner of Avery Capital; Jennifer Chandler, managing director, Bank of America; Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College; Elizabeth Loboa, provost at SMU; and Mike Hoque, CEO of Hoque Global.
“While capitalism has been the greatest creator of wealth and has raised the standard of living for hundreds of millions of people around the world, it’s also been under attack, especially among young people,” Moe says. “Many polls among Millennials and Gen Z show that socialism is viewed more favorably than capitalism. We think capitalism is still the answer, but it needs a refresh.”
The Dallas event will feature The Texas Cup, a competition in which students from Texas universities will compete by presenting business ideas that combine profit and purpose to create real-world impact. The conference builds on GSV’s acclaimed program with Arizona State University, which has featured presenters that run the gamut from Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Gates to Condoleeza Rice and Barack Obama.
Collaboration With SoGood
After 25 years in the Silicon Valley, Moe moved to Dallas in 2021, believing it to be an ideal home base for promoting his cause. GSV’s work in Dallas also includes a strategic business partnership with Hoque Global in the development of SoGood, a masterplanned urban community south of Interstate 30 that’s surrounded by the Dallas Famers Market, Deep Ellum, the Cedars, and Fair Park.
Anchored by the GSV Labs innovation center and including residential, retail, and other commercial spaces, SoGood aims to create a culture of creativity and innovation. The alliance with GSV pairs up with Hoque Global’s overall mission to create impact with real estate development and investment, says Mike Hoque, CEO.
“We are based and focused on Dallas as a center of great business and innovation,” he says. “The Mission Summit is starting an annual platform to bring business and ideas and financing together to bring genuine economic impact to reality.”
Moe is the author of three books: Finding the Next Starbucks, The Global Silicon Valley Handbook, and The Mission Corporation.
“There is a growing tidal wave of businesses that combine purpose and profits; we call it the Mission Movement,” he says. “We believe the truly great businesses of tomorrow will have the ambition of a for-profit and the heart of a nonprofit.”
For more information on the SMU+GSV Mission Summit, click here.
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