Joe Green

Here’s a biographical sketch of Joe Green (American businessman / social entrepreneur) based on available sources:

Joe Green – Life, Career & Impact

Name: Joe Green (born June 28, 1983) Nationality: American Fields: Social entrepreneurship, technology, nonprofit / advocacy, community development

Early Life & Education

Joe Green grew up in Santa Monica, California, attending public schools there.

While in high school, Green was already politically active: he ran (unsuccessfully) for the local school board at age 17 and campaigned for a living wage for service workers in Santa Monica.

For college, he attended Harvard University, where he became an early collaborator with Mark Zuckerberg. Facemash project (which later became a precursor for Facebook).

Interestingly, Green reportedly declined an offer of equity in Facebook, which later would have been worth billions, opting instead to remain focused on activism and organizational work.

Green also studied under community organizing theorist Marshall Ganz, whose influence helped shape his interest in grassroots mobilization and civic engagement.

Career & Major Projects

Joe Green is best known as a serial social entrepreneur who bridges technology, advocacy, and community development. His career includes multiple co-founded ventures, nonprofit initiatives, and investments.

Causes

In 2007, Green co-founded Causes (with Sean Parker), a platform that allowed users to create, join, and promote social causes within a social network framework.

NationBuilder

Green co-founded NationBuilder, a platform designed to support nonprofits, political campaigns, and advocacy groups in organizing community engagement, fundraising, and communications.

FWD.us

In 2013, Green, together with Mark Zuckerberg and others, launched FWD.us, a bipartisan advocacy group primarily focused on immigration reform, education, and technology policy.

Later reports suggest Green’s leadership role in FWD.us ended (or was curtailed) around 2014.

Treehouse Co-Living

More recently, Green co-founded Treehouse Co-Living, a community-oriented housing development initiative in Los Angeles. The aim is to build shared, socially connected apartment communities in urban settings.

Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC)

Green is co-founder and President of Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative, a nonprofit aimed at supporting research in psychedelic medicine and therapeutic applications of psychedelics.

Angel Investing & Early Stage Support

In addition to his ventures, Green has been active as an angel investor, backing startups such as Asana, Dropbox, Lyft, and others.

He is also engaged in philanthropic leadership (for example as co-chair of Or HaLev, a Jewish meditation center) and has channelled resources to organizations in the medical and spiritual wellness sectors.

Themes, Style & Philosophy

Joe Green’s work is animated by themes of community, agency, and systemic change. He tends to position technology not as an end, but as a tool for organizing, amplifying voice, and enabling grassroots movements.

He has emphasized that social change must combine network effects, institutional structures, and human connection. His shift into co-living spaces with Treehouse reflects an interest in designing physical environments that foster communal life, not just digital interaction.

In founding PSFC, Green also ventures into the terrain where health, science, and policy intersect—reflecting a willingness to engage in high-risk, high-impact fields.

Recognition & Impact

• Green was recognized by Forbes in their 30 Under 30 list (Consumer Technology).

• His ventures (Causes in particular) have been widely discussed in media as early examples of “social good technology.”

• Through FWD.us, he contributed to debates on immigration reform and technology policy in Washington, D.C.

• Treehouse as a model has drawn attention in urban development and wellness circles, as a novel design for intentional communities.

• PSFC and its funding of psychedelic science have placed him among the growing cohort of philanthropic actors supporting emerging medical frontiers.

Challenges & Critiques

• Some critics have seen FWD.us as controversial, particularly around its messaging and alignment with tech interests; Green’s exit from leadership suggests internal tensions.

• The co-living space concept—though promising—faces practical, regulatory, and cultural hurdles in adoption, affordability, and sustainability.

• In the psychedelic funding space, there are scientific, regulatory, and ethical risks; philanthropic investment here is speculative and laden with uncertainty.