Brad Palmer is the founder and chairman of Palm Ventures. Established in 1992, Palm Ventures’ primary focus is on starting and investing Palmer Family capital into socially responsible companies that not only generate attractive returns but also have a positive and transformative impact on society. Palm Ventures is currently incubating six companies in health & wellness, energy efficiency, and expert network/prediction markets.
Prior to founding Palm Ventures, Brad was a senior associate at James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., a strategic advisory firm in New York City. Before Wolfensohn, Brad was a vice president in the Acquisition Finance division of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, where he financed numerous employee-led buyouts. Brad began his career as an entrepreneur, starting a multi-location business in the Midwest, which he successfully sold.
Brad holds a B.S. from Indiana University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves or has previously served on the boards of numerous private companies and charitable organizations, such as Save the Children, Education Development Center, the Kelley School of Business, the Millennium Development Goals Health Alliance, and the Maritime Aquarium.
Brad continues to be passionate about positive social impact. He has delegated day-to-day management of Palm Ventures to its chief investment officer in order to focus the majority of his time on climate change initiatives, affordable housing, and workforce training to bridge the skills gap and improve incomes of disenfranchised portions of the U.S. population.