In all these cases, the startups—and their impressive public benefits—could not have done it alone. One venture fund, Urban.Us, is working behind the scenes to improve the world one city at a time. Urban.Us dubs itself “the venture fund for startups that make cities better,” on its site, where it explains that it’s often the initial investor in worthy startups with the goal to not just earn money, but to help the environment, the economy, and the various infrastructures that the world’s increasing population depends on. In an interview with Tech.Co, Urban.Us cofounder Stonly Baptiste spoke further on the long-reaching goals of the public benefit fund: Before Urban.Us, Baptiste built and sold two software ventures: His stated passion is in “solving interesting problems,” and the technologies that have always interested him the most center on transportation and energy. Urban.Us cofounder Shaun Abrahamson, Babtiste told me, has an impressive history: He was previously at the MIT Media Lab and served as an early employee at GovWorks and MediaSentry. His angel portfolio, built over the past few years, includes ZocDoc, Trialpay (acquired by Visa in early 2015) and Refinery29. Both Baptiste and Abrahamson are invested in helping the general public in a manner more substantial than just lining their own pocketbooks. Part of that goal includes encouraging other businesses to follow suit. The public benefits sector isn’t scared of a little competition. Finally, we should note that just because a startup is helping the world doesn’t mean that it can’t be a ton of fun: Just take a look at one Urban.Us-backed startup, Onewheel. The product is a one-wheeled skateboard-like electric vehicle that transports riders looking for a breeze in their face. As Baptiste puts it, “It’s like riding a surfboard to work.”
