New venture from Facebook co-founder to promote charity
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who left the booming social network to work on the online arm of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is launching a startup to promote charitable efforts.
Hughes, 26, announced the launch of the non-profit new venture, called "Jumo," on his personal blog at chrishughes.tumblr.com on Thursday.
"There are no magic solutions to the challenges our world faces," Jumo.com says on its home page.
"But there are millions of people around the globe who work each day to improve the lives of others," it says. "Unfortunately, there are millions more who don't know how to meaningfully help.
"Jumo brings together everyday individuals and organizations to speed the pace of global change," it says.
"We connect people to the issues, organizations, and individuals relevant to them to foster lasting relationships and meaningful action."
Hughes left Facebook, which he founded with Mark Zuckerberg and others while studying at Harvard University, for the Obama campaign in 2007.
Obama's online efforts have been credited with contributing to his November 2008 victory over John McCain.
Hughes was notably responsible for creating the Obama campaign website, My.BarackObama.com, and incorporating social media into the campaign for the White House.
(c) 2010 AFP