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Daniel Lubetzky

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American businessman

Daniel Lubetzky
Lubetzky in 2015
Born1968 (age 55–56)
Mexico City, Mexico
NationalityMexican, American
Alma materTrinity University (BA)
Stanford University (JD)
Known forFounder of snack company Kind LLC
TitleExecutive chairman, Kind LLC
Spouse Michelle Lynn Lieberman ​ ​(m. 2008)​
Children4
RelativesEmmanuel Lubezki (cousin)
Websitewww.daniellubetzky.com

Daniel Lubetzky (born 1968) is a Mexican-American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, author, and founder and executive chairman of snack company Kind LLC.

Early life and education

Lubetzky is the son of Sonia and Roman Lubetzky. A Holocaust survivor and a Lithuanian Ashkenazi Jew, Lubetzky's father was a partner in International Bonded Warehouses and United Export Trading Association, two duty-free shop chains with headquarters in Laredo, Texas. Daniel Lubetzky was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. As a teenager, he moved with his family to the U.S.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and international relations, graduating magna cum laude, from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. As an undergraduate, he studied abroad in Israel and France. Lubetzky then earned his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1993.

In March 2008, Lubetzky married Michelle Lynn Lieberman, a physician. They have four children. Lubetzky is the cousin of three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.

Business career

While in college Lubetzky created a retail watch operation, Da'Leky Times. After graduating from law school, Lubetzky worked briefly at Sullivan & Cromwell and at McKinsey & Company.

In 1993, Lubetzky was awarded a Haas Koshland Fellowship to write about legislative means to foster joint ventures between Arabs and Israelis. While carrying out his research, in 1994 he discovered a sun-dried tomato product that provided the foundation for PeaceWorks Inc. PeaceWorks is a "not-Only-for-profit" business pursuing both peace and profit. Its flagship brand – Meditalia – is made through cooperation among neighbors striving to co-exist in the Middle East.

In 2003, concerned about unhealthy snacking choices and the rising obesity and diabetes epidemic in America, Lubetzky launched Kind Snacks with the slogan "Kind to your body, your taste buds and your world". In 2015, Kind was the fastest-growing snack company in the US.

In 2010, Lubetzky co-founded Maiyet, a luxury fashion venture committed to partnering with artisans in developing economies to create high-end products, while promoting self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

In 2015, President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker named Lubetzky a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. In 2018, Lubetzky founded a New York-based family office, Equilibra, which backs entrepreneur-run businesses that offer packaged goods to consumers. Its investments include Greek yogurt brand Ellenos, and social enterprise Yellow Leaf Hammocks. As of November 2021, Lubetzky had a net worth of $2.2 billion.

In November 2020, it was announced that Kind North America would be purchased by Mars in a deal worth $5 billion. Lubetzky said he would retain his stake in the company and remain involved in its operations.

In September 2021, Lubetzky teamed up with two of Kind's former executives to create Somos (meaning "we are" in Spanish), an authentic Mexican food company.

In January 2023, Lubetzky relaunched Equilibra as Camino Partners, a business incubation and investment platform.

Investments

Lubetzky established Equilibra Partners Management Inc. in 2018. The firm backs entrepreneur-run businesses that offer packaged goods to consumers.

In May 2020, Equilibra purchased a 25% stake in Yellow Leaf Hammocks for $1 million when Lubetzky sat as a guest shark on Shark Tank.

In 2020, Equilibra invested $18 million in Greek yogurt company Ellenos. Towards the end of the year, it made a $250,000 investment in FitFighter, a fitness brand which began with equipment for firefighter training programs and expanded to full-body fitness tools and workouts.

In 2021, Equilibra purchased a 10% stake in Quevos, an egg white protein snacks company, also on Shark Tank. That same year, they invested in Tandm Inc., a family-owned business that created a tandem boogie board.

Other investments include: Cava Group, Justin's, Krave Jerky, gimme Snacks, Chapul, food company Belgian Boys, and HummViewer.

Media

Lubetzky is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Do the Kind Thing, Think Boundlessly, Work Purposefully, Live Passionately. The book is based on Lubetzky's entrepreneurial experience, and was inspired by his father's stories from the Holocaust. Lubetzky has also published multiple opinion posts to CNN describing his opinions on how to stop violent extremists and lessons he will pass on to his children.

Lubetzky was a recurring guest shark on Shark Tank from Seasons 11-15. As of 2024, he has been promoted to one of the main sharks.

Philanthropy and advocacy initiatives

In 2002, he co-founded the OneVoice Movement, an international grassroots effort, to amplify the voices of moderate Israelis and Palestinians seeking to end the conflict.

In 2015, Lubetzky and Kind Snacks created the Kind Foundation. Its signature initiative, Empatico, is a video-conferencing and digital learning platform that connects classrooms around the world to help kids explore their similarities and differences and expand their world views.

In 2017, he launched a public advocacy organization called Feed the Truth to counteract the food industry's influence on food policy and public health. He pledged $25 million to the organization.

In April 2020, Lubetzky's Kind Foundation launched the Frontline Impact Project in consultation with Project N95. The project is a platform for healthcare and other frontline responders to request resources needed in the fight against COVID-19. As of May 14, 2020, Frontline Impact Project had partnered with more than 40 brands including Unilever, Nestle, and Mars, reaching more than 180,000 people working mostly in hospitals, nursing homes, and outpatient medical practices.

In 2021, Lubetzky launched Starts With Us. Its movement partners include Jason Alexander, Mark Cuban, and Andrew Yang, amongst others.

In September 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Lubetzky Family Foundation announced a scholarship program for Ukrainian students studying in the US. The program was launched in partnership with Jose Andres and Garry Kasparov.

In a May 2024 TED Talk, Lubetzky announced the nonprofit global initiative "Builders Movement", with Liev Schreiber, Katie Couric, and Lonnie Ali, to encourage people to work together and reduce polarization.

Involvement in advocacy and influence

In 2019, Lubetzky was appointed to the Anti-Defamation League's inaugural board of directors.

In May 2024, the Washington Post reported that Lubetzky was a member of a WhatsApp group of business leaders working to shape US public opinion about the Israel-Hamas war following the 7 October attacks against Israel. The group also organized a Zoom meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he released a statement condemning the antisemitism on Columbia University's campus, where they discussed making political donations to Adams.

Awards and recognition

  • Koshland Fellowship
  • 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum
  • Trinity Outstanding Alumnus Award
  • World Association of NGOs bestowed him with its Peace, Reconciliation and Security Award
  • Catholic Theological Union's Blessed Are the Peacemakers Award
  • King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Prize
  • Named a Young Leaders Forum fellow by the National Committee for United States-China Relations.
  • Named as one of "43 Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World" by Fast Company.
  • Recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
  • Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
  • Named among "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs" by Bloomberg News.
  • Named among "25 Responsibility Pioneers" of social innovation by Time magazine.
  • Selected as Entrepreneur of the Year by Entrepreneur magazine.
  • Named among Advertising Age's 50 most creative people.
  • Named among 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs.
  • Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award.
  • Heroes of Conscious Capitalism 2017 Common Ground Awards Winner
  • Hispanic Heritage Award
  • Horatio Alger Award
  • 2023 Honored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award.

References

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