Posted on January 6, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Filed under: Behind the Money | Deal International | Tech Confidential
Tagged: Chris Coyne , cleantech , cleantech investing , Dorthy.com , First Juice , green investment , Greg Coyne , investing with a conscience , Jim Anderson , Jordan English Gross , Mark Swersky , Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. , philanthropy , Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors , Saber Seven , Will Burrington

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"We're looking certainly at financial rewards, but we believe very strongly that there are other rewards that come in investing, and those come in terms of progress made for people and for the planet," says Chris Coyne about the dual missions of Coyne Brothers LLC, an investment firm that focuses on doing good as well as on doing due diligence.

"We can do a lot with money -- a lot that's beneficial to the economy but also that's beneficial to human progress," Coyne tells Behind the Money in our video interview. "Most of the projects that we embrace are clean; they're green; and they're high tech. They promote jobs. They promote abundance models, but they also promote conditions that are beneficial to human progress."

Some startups recently backed by Coyne Brothers include: Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc., which is developing a wastewater treatment system that produces fertilizer as a byproduct; First Juice, which makes low-sugar organic juice for toddlers; and Saber Seven Inc., a year-old incubator in New York that bills itself as "ruby slippers for the rest of us."

Saber Seven's initial project, Dorthy.com (note the lack of a second "o" in the spelling), filters social media and other Internet content based on your aspirations, such as, say, the desire to run a marathon.

Although Saber Seven may sound a bit pie in the sky, it has some well-grounded and well-known tech dealmakers behind it, including About.com co-founder Jim Anderson; Will Burrington, a former AOL executive; and Marc Swersky, founder of WUG Music/Productions and the producer of the "Bodyguard" soundtrack.

Making dreams come true isn't all that's over the rainbow at Dorthy.com. The startup's chief operating officer Jordan English Gross previously founded a marketing firm and is the 2003 recipient of the National ADDY for Interactive Communication Award, the youngest person ever to receive the award. On Dorthy.com, making money may be just a targeted ad away. - Mary Kathleen Flynn

For more on Dorthy.com see Dec. 23, 2008, story from The New York Observer
For more on investing with a conscience see November 2008 story on the recent Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors investment conference from TheDeal.com

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