A few weeks ago, Thomas Ma (co-founder of Sapphire Studios ) saw the devastation from the LA wildfires and decided to take action…
He called it Project 1000 — A mission to create 1,000 wellness kits for families displaced by the fires.
Thomas didn't just organize this effort. He walked straight into Costco and spent $6,600 of his own money to kickstart the initiative.
When he shared his vision with me, I felt compelled to support. I called upon many of my consumer brands to step up. And they did.
The results were incredible:
- Nearly 20,000 products donated
- Over $300,000 in total value
- 1,000 wellness kits assembled and distributed
But the most important number? The families these kits helped.
I'm particularly proud of portfolio companies like quip., Winx Health (formerly known as Stix), Quite Nice, and Magna for immediately jumping in to support this cause. And the countless others who ran their own initiatives to help people in need, however they could.
This is what the startup community looks like at its best — Founders helping founders to help others.
Thank you to Thomas for leading this initiative. And thank you to everyone else that contributed to make it happen.
(If you're interested in supporting ongoing relief efforts, the Clyde Community Center is still collecting items through February).
🙏💙 Jamie Norwood Cynthia Plotch Kayden Horwitz Meredith Glansberg Michael Preysman Lauri Kien Kotcher
