Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg: Royal blood, young tycoon

Alex von Furstenberg may have come from a royal lineage, but him landing a place in one of the biggest business empires in America may have been pushed by his deep drive for business. As a young business tycoon, Furstenberg doesn’t need to summon the aristocratic trait of methodical entrepreneurialism to ascend onto the highest rungs of business. Early on, he stepped into the fore and inched his way to become one of the youngest successful businessmen in America.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: Alexandervonfurstenberg.com

Born in New York to famous fashion designers Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg, Alex was exposed to the entrenched business dynasty around him. After he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree at Brown University in 1993, Alex von Furstenberg immediately began a career that saw him as a brilliant player in almost every business trend he engaged into. He first worked as a trader on Allen & Company’s Risk Arbitrage Desk. Years later, he became the Co-Managing Member and Chief Investment Officer of Arrow Capital Management, LLC, a private investment firm focused on global public equities. The company serves the Diller–von Furstenberg family.



Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: Alexvonfurstenberg.com


After many years of gaining valuable business experience, he founded the Ranger Global Advisors, a company involved in value based investments. Aside from being the firm’s Chief Investment Officer, Alex also serves on the Board of Directors of IAC, a U.S.-based Internet conglomerate. He is also currently associated with Steward and Co. and W.P. Stewart & Co., Ltd. Both are asset management companies in Bermuda. Alex is also known for excellent restructuring of Diane von Furstenberg Studio, LP, a global luxury lifestyle brand that he helped profit up to more than $200 million in annual revenue. He also currently works as the company’s partner and director.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: Alexvonfurstenberg.com



As the secretary and director of the Diller-Furstenberg Family Foundation, Alex is actively involved in various philanthropic works. He serves on the board of Friends of the High Line, a private, non-profit partner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and on the National Advisory Council of the National Advisory Council of AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA).

At present, Alex von Furstenberg lives in Malibu, California with his family.

For more information on Alex von Furstenberg, follow this Twitter page.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg disburses resources to prevent and treat serious diseases

Alex von Furstenberg’s goal is to advance the living conditions of the less fortunate, especially those inflicted with serious diseases but could not afford to undergo treatment. He envisions change in other people’s lives by sharing with them a generous portion of his resources. The Global Fund is one the many medical research organizations that Mr. von Furstenberg supports.

Alex von Furstenberg. Image credit: She.org.mv


An independent global public-private partnership organization, The Global Fund wields efforts to attract and disburse resources to prevent and treat severe health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The organization sees the partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector, and affected communities as “an innovative approach to international health financing.”

Alex von Furstenberg is the chief investment officer and founder of Ranger Global Advisors, a family business specializing on opportunistic value-based investing.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image credit: Jama.com


By collaborating with other bilateral and multilateral organizations— including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)—The Global Fund is able to support research and development projects that are specifically directed towards the three dreaded diseases. The organization is based in Geneva, Switzerland and provides roughly three-fifths of all international financing for malaria and tuberculosis, and nearly a quarter of all international financing for HIV/AIDS. In addition, The Global Fund has developed an innovative “grant architecture,” which has delivered significant changes to the organization’s operating model, including the application process, structuring of finance, management of performance, and decision making about how future funding can be made.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image credit: Emoryethics.blogspot.com

Through the Diller-von Furnstenberg Family Foundation, Alex von Furstenberg takes deep involvement in philanthropic causes and invests resources to support the diverse needs of the struggling populace. For more information about him, visit AlexvonFurstenberg.com.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg: Improving people’s lives and strengthening communities through philanthropy

Most philanthropists like Alex von Furstenberg believe that giving to the needy is a privilege, an opportunity, and a responsibility. Thanks to the contributions of such people, numerous organizations are able to find proper funding to improve the lives in thousands of communities around the world.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: sunshineleneforlife.com



The Diller–von Furstenberg Family Foundation, an organization led by Mr. Furstenberg, is a private family foundation that aims to make a positive impact on the world by “improving people’s lives and strengthening communities.” The Foundation believes that this can be accomplished by supporting various 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that provide people with different opportunities to improve their lives.


Over the years, the Foundation has helped several organizations working in sectors such as community building, education, human rights, arts, health, and environment, spending more than $30 million in grants.


Alex von Furstenberg is the director and secretary of The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation and serves on the board of Friends of the High Line.”


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: flickr.com/photos/ayashok



Included in the list of organizations that benefited from the Foundation’s philanthropy are:


Community building – Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Central Park Conservancy, and Comfort Zone Camp.

Education – American Friends of the College of Judea, Brown University, and Exceptional Education Outreach.

Human rights – Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith, Human Rights Campaign, and Human Rights Watch.

Arts – Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Roundabout Theater Company, and CAA Education Foundation.

Health – ACRIA, AMFAR, and Continuum Cancer Centers.

Environment – CAF America, Conservation International, and Friends of ARK.

View the complete list of organizations supported by the Foundation by visiting www.alexvonfurstenberg.com. More information about Alex von Furstenberg can also be accessed through the site.

Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: alexvonfurstenberg.com

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg and CAA Foundation: Creating positive social change through popular culture

Through The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Alex von Furstenberg is able to expand his horizons and walk outside the tracks of the corporate world. He sponsors a number of charitable causes and pursues innovative programs that aim to suppress the unsettling repercussions of poverty, social injustice, and environmental degradation.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: alexvonfurstenberg.com



One of the organizations that Mr. von Furstenberg actively supports is the CAA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Creative Artists Agency that uses popular culture as a creative means to make positive social change. An integral part of its culture, charity serves as CAA’s doorway to understanding the conditions of poor children and communities worldwide. It encourages volunteerism, facilitates strategic partnerships, grants financial contributions, and provides in-kind donations.


Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: blog.artandwriting.org/



Founded in 1996, CAA Foundation empowers employees, companies, artists, athletes, and business executives like Alex von Furstenberg to use their time, talents, and resources “to make a difference, to be of service, and to improve conditions worldwide.” Through employee involvement and client service, the foundation is able to service local and global communities. It utilizes volunteer initiatives—students and student leaders mentorship, school beautification projects, free arts programs, and pro-social vocations—to propagate social development, mitigate global climate change, and encourage personal accountability and responsibility among its members.


CAA’s corporate clients play a crucial role in the establishment of the Foundation as an independent, well-heeled organization in the philanthropic society. They help it facilitate cause-marketing partnerships and provide counsel on how to advance community activities.


For more information about Alex von Furstenberg and his humanitarian works, visit AlexvonFurstenberg.com.

Alex von Furstenberg. Image Credit: alexvonfurstenberg.com

Monday, June 18, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg and the Brown University: Achieving scholastic excellence through high-quality education

Alex von Furstenberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1993. He resides in Malibu, California with his family.

Founded in 1764, Brown University is the third oldest institution of higher education in New England and seventh oldest in the United States. It is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was originally called College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the reign of King George III.

Alex Von Furstenberg Image Credit: iStockphoto.com



It was Brown that pioneered in the nation the acceptance of students from all religious affiliations. Academically, it comprises The College, Graduate School, Alpert Medical School, and the School of Engineering. In addition, its international programs and curricula are organized through the Watson Institute for International Studies.


Alex Von Furstenberg Image Credit: Oncoursesystems.com


Alex von Furstenberg aims to broaden the academic understanding of the youth through educational plans and other philanthropic grants.

A well-recognized research university that houses 689 full-time faculty members and 2,000 graduate students, Brown has successfully produced five professors and two alumni who have been honored as Nobel laureates. This propelled the university to add 100 more professors to its roster in the recent decade through the Boldly Brown campaign.

Alex Von Furstenberg Image Credit: Cosmosmagazine.com


On one hand, the university offers more than 70 curricular programs for undergraduates, ranging from Egyptology to cognitive neuroscience. On the other hand, graduate students can enroll in more than 70 programs, which include interdisciplinary opportunities in molecular pharmacology and physiology and a master’s program in acting and directing through the Brown/Trinity Repertory Consortium.


For more information about Alex von Furstenberg and his academic background, visit AlexvonFurstenberg.com.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg: Sustaining the spirit of free inquiry

Promoting, passing on, and protecting knowledge and understanding in a spirit of a free inquiry burn at the core of Alex von Furstenberg. The same philosophy is at the heart of Brown University, an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution, in keeping its commitment to its diverse community of students and faculty members.


Alex von Furstenberg Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com


Individual and institution are further, and inexorably, linked by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, a private family foundation that supports various direct-service organizations. Mr. von Furstenberg, a Bachelor of Arts graduate in Brown, is the director and secretary of the Foundation.


Brown was the first Ivy League school to accept students from all religious affiliations. Women were admitted for the first time to its campus in 1891. In the almost three centuries of its existence, the pillar of higher education has placed importance on its curriculum.



Alex von Furstenberg Photo Credit: Epicureanzealot.com



Alex von Furstenberg is an alumnus of Brown University, one of the many beneficiaries of the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Institution and organization are both advocates of academic freedom.



The Brown Curriculum

A liberal approach to academics has been alive in Brown University since its inception. The institution has traditionally encouraged its students to study broadly and deeply, to engage in self-examination, and to build a moral core.


This liberal arts approach has been challenged over time, with changes ranging from enabling students to "study what [they] chose, all that [they] chose, and nothing but what [they] chose" to giving them “the right to choose, the right to fail, and above all the freedom to direct their own education.”



Alex von Furstenberg Photo Credit: Cosmosmagazine.com


Learn more about the Brown Curriculum at www.brown.edu. Visit www.alexvonfurstenberg.com for more information about Alex von Furstenberg and his family’s private foundation.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Alex Von Furstenberg: A look into the Research to Prevent Blindness

Alex Von Furstenberg is a philanthropist who supports various health organizations including Research to Prevent Blindness. He is the Director and Secretary of Diller-Von Furstenberg Family Foundation.


The report compiled by the American Academy of Ophthalmology states that 3.6 million people (mostly aged 40 and above) are visually impaired, while one million are legally blind. Despite the alarming rate of visual impairment and blindness, people must understand that blindness is a condition that can sometimes be prevented with proper eye care and efficient treatment.



Alex Von Furstenberg Photo Credit: Catchpoint.com



The Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), a leading private voluntary health organization, helps reduce the cases of blindness by conducting eye research directed at the prevention and treatment of vision problems.


To efficiently conduct its research, funding is essential for the organization. Alex Von Furstenberg and the Diller-Von Furstenberg Family Foundation are among the entities that support RPB. Through funding, the organization is granted with scientific manpower, cutting-edge technological equipment, and adequate research facilities. These are all necessary in the pursuit of understanding and coming up with innovative treatment for vision problems.



Alex Von Furstenberg Photo Credit: RPBusa.org


Alex Von Furstenberg Photo Credit: Howstuffworks.com



For over 50 years, RPB has been providing eye research funds to leading scientific institutions across the country.


Moreover, a big portion of the contributions gathered by the organization is used for eye research, and only two percent is set aside for the organization’s fund raising.


For more of Alex Von Furstenberg’s grantees, visit www.alexvonfurstenberg.org.