Ben Rattray

Ben Rattray
Rattray in 2012
Born1979 or 1980 (age 46–47)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
EducationStanford University
London School of Economics
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of Change.org
Awards2012 Time 100

2012 Fortune 40 Under 40

2014 Commonwealth Club of California 21st Century Visionary Award

Ben Rattray (born 1979 or 1980 (age 46–47)) is an American entrepreneur and the founder of Change.org, an online petition platform launched in 2007. He has also served as the company's chief executive officer.

Rattray was named to the 2012 Time 100 list of influential people and Fortune's 2012 40 Under 40 list. In 2014, he received the Commonwealth Club of California's 21st Century Visionary Award.

Early life and education

Rattray was born in Santa Barbara, California, and attended Dos Pueblos High School, where he participated in athletics and was named homecoming king.

He attended Stanford University, where he studied political science and economics. Rattray initially planned to pursue a career in investment banking, but later became interested in social and political organizing. He has said that a conversation with one of his brothers about the challenges faced by gay people influenced his decision to focus on collective action.

Rattray later attended the London School of Economics.

Change.org

Rattray founded Change.org in 2007. The website initially operated as a social network focused on social activism. It was later reorganized as a platform for cause-related blogs before shifting its focus to online petitions in 2011.

Rattray has described the company's goal as changing "the balance of power between individuals and large organizations".

Change.org expanded rapidly during the early 2010s. In February 2012, Rattray said that more than 10,000 petitions were being created on the site each month and that the company's staff had grown from 20 to 100 employees during 2011.

In May 2013, Change.org announced a $15 million investment round led by Omidyar Network. At the time, the company reported more than 35 million users and 170 employees in 18 countries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ed Pilkington (April 13, 2012). "Change.org thrust into spotlight in wake of Trayvon Martin case". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Meet Our Team". Change.org. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ Katchpole, Molly (April 18, 2012). "Ben Rattray - 2012 Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World". Time. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ VanderMey, Anne (October 11, 2012). "40 Under 40". Fortune. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Change.org: Tech for Good". Commonwealth Club of California. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Online petitions crack through board rooms, capitals". Fox News. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  7. ↑ Marieke van der Vaart (July 1, 2011). "U.S. petition website helps Saudi women hit the highways". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Change.org: Social Network For Social Activism". ReadWrite. February 7, 2007. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Change.org moves from social media to blogging in order to raise cause awareness". VentureBeat. October 8, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Online petitions: Shifting the power to consumers". The Baltimore Sun. February 12, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  11. ↑ Ylan Q. Mui (January 23, 2012). "Change.org emerges as influential advocate on issues from bullying to bank fees". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  12. ↑ Kristof, Nicholas D. (February 4, 2012). "After Recess: Change the World". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Empson, Rip (May 21, 2013). "With $15M From Omidyar And 35M+ Users, Change.org Wants To Prove Socially-Minded Startups Can Attract Big Numbers". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 1, 2013.