Richard Bronson

Richard Bronson began his career on Wall Street and became a partner at the infamous Stratton Oakmont, of "Wolf of Wall Street" fame. After launching his own firm that grew to 500 employees, generating $100 million in annual revenue, Richard was arrested for securities fraud and served two years in a federal prison. Upon release, he was destitute, and for years tried to put the past behind him. He found a home at Defy Ventures, the prominent reentry non-profit, where he served as director, leading to his founding 70MillionJobs, the first for-profit recruitment platform for individuals with criminal records. Almost immediately, he partnered with City of Los Angeles to drive more employment opportunities for that city's ex-offender population and then was asked to participate in Y Combinator, the early-stage investor incubator in Mountain View, California. In a short time, the 70MillionJobs has amassed a community of more than one million ex-offenders--a population emerging as a vital economic and political force. Richard's story is one of achieving the dizzying heights of success, the inevitable plummet to abject failure, and ultimate redemption in discovering the intersection of good works and good business.