Omidyar Network topic

Omidyar® Network is a mission-based organization established by eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar, and his wife, Pam. Since 2004, we have made both for-profit and nonprofit investments to advance our mission, and we are currently expanding beyond investments to include public policy and other areas that enhance the organization's reach and impact.

Mission, Philosophy, and Approach
Omidyar Network believes that all individuals have the innate potential to make life better for themselves and their communities. Certain conditions increase the likelihood for individuals to discover and act on that potential, and consequently improve the quality of their lives as they define it. Such "enabling" conditions include equal access to information, resources and tools, the ability to connect to others with shared interests, and a sense of ownership over outcomes. Our work is focused on building and sustaining environments characterized by these conditions.

We approach any environment or context (e.g., microfinance) as a system that is comprised of individuals, institutions, supporting structures, and the relationships among them. We believe the most efficient way to build, enhance and sustain the enabling conditions of a system is to apply a broad combination of tools and to engage institutions and structures, not only within but also across sectors--public, private, and social. It is our belief that each sector has a distinct and vital role to play.

As the actors within a system become aware of how the conditions of access, connection and ownership help them achieve their goals, we believe they will be more likely to cultivate those conditions. Over time, this cultivation will facilitate more and more positive effects in the lives of individuals and communities. This is a virtuous cycle, one that we expect will scale exponentially among increasing numbers of people and in different contexts. Ultimately, we hope that people everywhere will constructively engage with each other to pursue what they care about most, resulting in a global society that is continually advancing social progress.