Photo credit: Fox Foundation
Ben Van de Bunt, a resilient individual, has quietly become one of the sharpest translators of risk into purpose. After a long tenure as CEO & President of the direct-marketing powerhouse Guthy‑Renker, he turned his attention to clean energy, housing, and social entrepreneurship—often where the odds are highest and the margins lowest.
In venture after venture—whether solar firm development, residential housing for adults with developmental disabilities, or startup capital for underserved founders—Van de Bunt has insisted on one yardstick: “doing good while doing well.”
Today, Van de Bunt serves as principal in a constellation of companies (Paramount Equity, LoanPal, Inspire Energy, Nestidd, Omni Energy, and Rosewood Homes) and sits on philanthropic and academic boards—he also teaches social entrepreneurship at USC Marshall School of Business with his wife.
Why does he belong on the Worthy 100 in 2025? Because at a moment where capital has rarely seemed more idled or misallocated, Van de Bunt is proving that profitability and purpose aren’t opposites—they can be co-invested.
