Chris Blauvelt

Biography

Chris Blauvelt is a passionate Muslim American entrepreneur committed to reviving the goodness of humanity. At the age of 16, Chris was inspired to become Muslim in part through the Autobiography of Malcolm X, who imprinted in him the desire to leave a lasting legacy of change. Once accepted into engineering school at the University of Michigan, Chris led his Muslim student organization to win awards and recognition while graduating at the top of his class. Shortly afterwards, Chris trotted down a new path,  receiving his Mater’s degree in Educational Leadership before founding Launch Good. Chris’ wild, varied background includes engineering at Intel, teaching at an elite boarding school, founding an Arabic non-profit, and producing an award-winning Sundance film.

He is the founder and CEO of LaunchGood, the world’s largest faith-inspired crowdfunding platform that has raised over $15 million across 77 countries for thousands of campaigns from Muslims repairing vandalized Jewish cemeteries to sending hijabi athletes to the Olympics. Chris has been invited across the world to participate in premiere events from dinner at the White House to speaking at SXSW and teaching entrepreneurship in Malaysia and Singapore as a guest of their U.S. Embassies.

Speaking Topics

1. The Blossoming Islamic Startup Scene – In the last 5 years, serious startups have arisen catering to the global Muslim population. They range across a number of fields – technology, finance, food, cosmetics and more – but have some unifying characteristics and goals. Learn about some of the most exciting initiatives from across the globe and how this startup movement has the potential to bring peace and development to the world.
2. Lessons Learned from Building a Muslim Startup – LaunchGood.com is one of the leading Muslim startups, and has funded over $18 million worth of crowdfunding campaigns across 80 countries, including famously a campaign to raise money for discredited Jewish cemeteries in America that raised over $150,000. Listen to founder Chris Blauvelt describe the challenges and rewards of building LaunchGood and what the future holds.
3. The Twilight Zone: White American Muslim – Chris Blauvelt, a classic WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) became Muslim at 16, only to be told by his father he can’t be Muslim because he’s “White”. Learn about the challenges of navigating both a Muslim and American identity from someone who has been navigating the divide for the last 16 years.