About Us

Bia-Echo Foundation is a private foundation, founded by Nicole Shanahan, that aims to accelerate social change in order to establish a fair and equitable society for future generations to thrive. We invest in changemakers at the forefront of innovation who are tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges within our core areas of investment: Reproductive Longevity & Equality, Criminal Justice Reform and a Healthy and Livable Planet.

To realize this vision, Bia-Echo seeks to partner with individuals and organizations pioneering the most promising ideas and solutions and amplify the impact of their ground-breaking work. We believe that the societal change we seek to inspire can come from a wide range of institutions and individuals, including nonprofit organizations, startup companies, educational institutes, innovators, entrepreneurs and beyond. Bia-Echo will support their efforts through philanthropic endeavors and impact investing.

We recognize that there is a high risk associated with projects and organizations that aim to have an immense impact on the world and will support those that are taking these calculated risks in collaboration with Bia-Echo. Addressing societal problems at scale is critically important, and we believe that investing in building the capacity of these ambitious projects and organizations can have a multiplying, positive effect on the world.

In the past, Nicole Shanahan, President of Bia-Echo Foundation, has supported these efforts through the Sergey Brin Family Foundation. With the inception of the Bia-Echo Foundation, Shanahan will continue to make an impact within these core areas of investment by supporting the creation of new organizations, programs and initiatives and partnering with cutting-edge institutions.

The name of the foundation, Bia-Echo, reflects the energetic purpose Shanahan brings to social change and her desire to create a better future: Bia is the Greek goddess of raw energy, and echo represents the reverberating and multiplying effect the foundation aspires to achieve.