Airwallex joins the Pledge 1% movement to commit company equity and more toward corporate philanthropy through a sustained ongoing model.
“Airwallex Impact” will include expansion of company volunteerism, Airwallex for Startups programs and “discounted” product for select nonprofit organizations.
Furthering its commitment to innovation, Airwallex announced the launch of Airwallex Impact, a social impact program, underpinned by a 1% equity commitment for “philanthropic giving.”
It will be bolstered by a commitment to “donate 1% of employee time, profits and products to support the innovation community.”
In taking the 1% Pledge, Airwallex joins companies committed to the multiplier effect of corporate philanthropy, including tech professionals Atlassian, Canva, Airbnb, Okta, Reddit and Salesforce.
Airwallex CEO and Co-founder Jack Zhang said that as the firm enters its 10th year as a business, the time is right to build on their community initiatives to date and commit to an enduring impact program.”
Atlassian and Pledge 1% Co-Founder Scott Farquhar, said they founded Pledge 1% in 2015 to encourage companies to “bake philanthropy into their DNA.”
By partnering with Pledge 1% to set aside 1 percent of Airwallex stock, currently valued “at $56M, the company has built a sustainable, durable model for ongoing corporate philanthropy.”
The value of the pledge will grow alongside the company, allowing this commitment to be a seed for “a growing endowment toward social impact.”
This builds upon previous philanthropic gifts, including “an AU$3M donation to the University of Melbourne, which has thus far funded scholarships for 43 students – 40 percent of whom identify as female and 56 percent of whom are international students.”
Additionally, Airwallex funded an “AU$150,000 donation for financial assistance for an additional 65 students to support non-tuition related costs of attending school.”
These students have become part of the Airwallex community in many ways, having interned at and “received formal mentorship from the Airwallex team, which has committed more than 400 hours to mentorship since the program kicked off two years ago.”
The Airwallex Impact Program will grow this effort through philanthropic partnerships in its major hubs “that support the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs through scholarships, financial operations training and startup incubators.”
In tandem with the philanthropic effort, the Airwallex Impact Program will provide a suite of resources “to the innovation community through Airwallex employee mentor programs, the Airwallex for Startups program and product discounts for select nonprofit organisations across the spectrum of public benefit programs.”
This program is funded by the business itself.
The Airwallex for Startups program for founders and entrepreneurs launched in September 2023, and is now “live in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, with a planned launch in New Zealand later this month.”
To date, more than 2,000 startups have joined the program and benefit from our efforts to infuse the startup community ecosystem “with partner perks, networking events and other resources tailored to entrepreneurs’ needs.”
Airwallex has hosted 50+ events aimed at cultivating startup success.
Beginning in 2025, all 1,600+ Airwallex employees will commit three days per year to volunteering – amounting to “roughly 1 percent of employee time devoted to community service.”
Two of these days will be focused on service in partnership with Airwallex Impact initiatives, and one “can be dedicated to any not-for-profit organisation the employees choose.”
This builds upon Airwallex’s record of mentoring and “nurturing startup communities in Australia.”
Airwallex has helped break down barriers for entrepreneurs through knowledge sharing and access to capital, including providing “pro-bono mentoring through Australia’s Techstars incubator program as well as grants to early-stage startups across AI and FinTech to accelerate their growth.”
Additionally, as a foundational partner to the Sydney-based AI Build Club, they supported Australia’s largest AI hackathon.
Helping to unlock barriers for underrepresented founders is “part of what Airwallex hopes to do to ignite innovation.”
In mid-2025, as part of Airwallex’s commitment to innovation, the company will roll out a program for select non-profits to “use Airwallex products at a discounted rate.”
