Square co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is auctioning a chance for a person and seven of their friends to have lunch with him. Dorsey has partnered with BUILD, an organization fostering education in the entrepreneur space, to make this initiative happen. Bidding is open to anyone and starts at $5,000.
BUILD was founded in 1999 as a way to help low-income students become interested with the idea of being an entrepreneur. It believes that student ideas in action will power young people to great success in schools and beyond. It is a four-year high school program that helps students in Redwood City and Oakland in California, Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts.
The organization says that Dorsey has been a supporter for the past several years. He has hosted mentoring sessions with students and auctioned off Square internships at BUILD’s annual gala, bringing in $60,000 for the cause.
The serial entrepreneur says “BUILD represents one of the best ways to tackle educational challenges — through entrepreneurship and pride in ownership. BUILD’s method gives kids the toolkits they need to build the futures they want — and it is inspiring to see what they create.”
Starting on May 6 at 7:00pm PST and running through May 16, lunch with Dorsey is up for grabs, with the highest bidder getting the opportunity to sit down and eat with him. All bidders must be pre-certified before making a bid and can complete this process through Kompolt, a non-profit auction service organization.
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According to BUILD, 7,200 high school students drop out each day, with most of them because they were not motivated or engaged to learn. The organization touts that because of its efforts, 99 percent of the participating students graduate high school and 94 percent of those have been accepted to college.
Photo credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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