The Story of Givz: Building the Future of Purpose-Driven Marketing

Few paths to founding a purpose-driven startup run through investment banking. But in a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Andrew Forman shared how his dual life as a banker and nonprofit treasurer sparked the insight that would eventually become Givz.

“I’m a bit of enigma to some people because I did six years of investment banking while at the same time doing five years of running my own nonprofit and being the treasurer of a nonprofit,” Andrew explains. “I kind of had these two yin and yang things, the work that paid the bills and then the nonprofit that gave me a bit of more of meaning in my life.”

His nonprofit experience revealed a critical gap in the market. Connecting brands with charitable causes was unnecessarily complex, often leading to missed opportunities and unintended consequences. This insight led Andrew to leave banking and attend Harvard Business School, where he began developing what would become Givz.

The company’s early breakthrough came through an unexpected source: H&M’s Pride Month challenge. The retail giant had donated $3 million to three LGBTQ+ charities, only to face backlash from community members questioning their choice of recipients. This pain point – brands wanting to support causes but struggling with execution – became Givz’s entry point into enterprise retail.

Their solution? Let customers choose where donations go. Instead of brands pre-selecting charities, shoppers could direct contributions to causes they personally care about. This approach not only solved the selection problem but also drove better business results.

The data proved compelling. When brands replace traditional discounts with donation incentives, “Average order value goes from 67 to 84 within a couple of weeks and it stays there for the rest of the year.” More importantly, these gains come without training customers to expect deep discounts that erode brand value.

Givz has expanded well beyond its initial retail focus. Financial services company Betterment uses their platform to incentivize recurring deposits. Jewelry stores are experimenting with QR codes that unlock charitable donations for high-value purchases. This expansion is enabled by an API-first approach that can power donation incentives for any customer action.

Looking ahead, Andrew sees Givz becoming the infrastructure layer for purpose-driven marketing. “We’re ultimately making an API driven approach that allows anybody… we’re going to be the fabric that basically powers the future of this giving economy,” he explains.

By solving both technical integration challenges and regulatory compliance hurdles, Givz is making it easier for brands to experiment with donation-based incentives at scale. Their vision extends beyond simple charitable giving into a new category of marketing that aligns business outcomes with social impact.

For B2B founders, Givz’s story demonstrates how solving an acute enterprise pain point can open the door to category creation. By focusing on measurable results while delivering meaningful impact, they’re building the foundation for a more purposeful approach to commerce.