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Person

Chase Koch

Born:

1977
Graduated:

Texas A & M University
President:

Koch Disruptive Technologies
Son of:

Charles Koch

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Chase Koch is the son of billionaire Charles Koch of Koch Industries. He is the president of Koch Disruptive Technologies and chairman of Stand Together Ventures. 1

Media reports have cast him as less political than his father and his late uncle David Koch, though he still has libertarian-conservative leanings. 2

Background

Chase Koch is the president of Koch Disruptive Technologies, or KDT, based in Wichita, Kansas. 3 4

Chase Koch is the son of billionaire Charles Koch and nephew of the late David Koch. 5 The year Chase Koch was born, Charles Koch contributed seed money for the libertarian think tank Cato Institute. In 1980, David Koch was the vice-presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party. 6

Chase Koch is a board member of Koch Industries, which has a reported $115 billion in revenue and operates in 70 countries. 7

Chase Koch is the only member of his family who currently works for Koch Industries. His sister Elizabeth Koch runs a publishing house, while the children of David Koch are much younger. 8

Before taking charge of KDT, Chase Koch was executive vice president of Koch Agronomic Services. 9 Chase Koch also had management positions for Koch Fertilizer Company and was a financial analyst with Koch Equity Development Group. 10

Chase Koch is a board member of the Charles Koch Foundation named for and principally funded by his father. 11

Early Years

Born in 1977, Chase Koch took his first summer job with Koch Industries at age 15 digging holes at a cattle feedlot in Syracuse, Kansas. 12 13

Chase Koch graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in business. 14

After graduating from Texas A&M, he looked for work outside of his family’s business and traveled to Austin, Texas, to attempt to find a place in the city’s tech start-up industry. While there, he played in a band that performed songs by Led Zeppelin, Phish, and the Grateful Dead.  15

After leaving Texas to return to Kansas, Chase began working at Koch Industries in a rotation of high-level jobs overseeing mergers and acquisitions, tax structuring, agronomics, and trading to familiarize him with various parts of the operation.  16

Koch Disruptive Technologies

Chase Koch’s company, Koch Disruptive Technologies, is a subsidiary of Koch Industries. 17

Koch Disruptive Technologies is focused on assisting tech entrepreneurs with their businesses. KDT says its approach is like Koch Industries’ vision for continued transformation and new technology platforms. 18

KDT invests in areas outside of Koch Industries’ traditional areas of expertise. One example is InSightec Ltd., a manufacturer of ultrasound-based surgical tools that are supposed to be able to eliminate the need for incisions. 19

Philanthropy

Chase Koch and his ex-wife, Annie Breitenbach, established the Chase and Annie Koch Foundation. According to Inside Philanthropy, it is not clear what will happen to the foundation following their divorce. 20 However, there has been a listing for what is simply the Chase Koch Foundation, based in Wichita, Kansas. 21

Chase Koch is the chairman of Stand Together Ventures, a network that focuses on developing solutions that break barriers for businesses. It is a donor network to support various organizations and public policy initiatives. 22

Among the primary organizations funded is Urban Specialists, a nonprofit based in Dallas, Texas, that says it wants to “work to change the cultural environment of communities to stop senseless violence.” 23

Chase Koch visited with Urban Specialists founder and CEO Omar Jahwar and walked through violence-plagued neighborhoods that the nonprofit works in. Urban Specialists became the flagship beneficiary of Stand Together, which also offered business lessons in market-based management and how to scale up. Since that time, Urban Specialists expanded to Atlanta, Georgia, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 24

Chase Koch has contributed to the campaigns of U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Tim Scott (R-SC). 25 Like his family, his vision for philanthropy leans libertarian and favors conservative policies. 26 However, he sees himself as less partisan and supports a less political approach than the Kochs had become accustomed to, Politico reported. He prefers to work in Wichita, Kansas, instead of the Koch political and advocacy network’s national headquarters near Washington, D.C. 27

Politico called Chase Koch’s approach a kinder, gentler libertarian philanthropy because he was involved in anti-poverty initiatives. He also helped build a philanthropy relationship with the Koch Network and former NFL star Deion Sanders. 28

Chase Koch teamed with fundraiser Zach Lahn to open Wonder, a private school located on the Wichita State University campus. The school serves preschool and elementary school students. 29 Tuition ranges from $6,500 to $10,000 each year. 30

References

  1.  Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  2. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  3. “Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  4. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  5. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  6. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  7. “ Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  8.  Maloney, Tom. “Koch Industries bets on tech: ‘Do it or we’ll end up in the Dumpster’.” The Los Angeles Times. August 19, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-16/charles-koch-son-steers-koch-industries-toward-tech
  9. McCoy, Daniel. “WBJ Exclusive – Chase Koch: Leadership learning is a lifelong process.” Wichita Business Journal. September 29, 2017. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2017/09/19/chase-koch-leadership-learning-is-a-lifelong.html?b=1505838087%5E21117300
  10. “McCoy, Daniel. “WBJ Exclusive – Chase Koch: Leadership learning is a lifelong process.” Wichita Business Journal. September 29, 2017. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2017/09/19/chase-koch-leadership-learning-is-a-lifelong.html?b=1505838087%5E21117300
  11. “Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  12. McCoy, Daniel. “WBJ Exclusive – Chase Koch: Leadership learning is a lifelong process.” Wichita Business Journal. September 29, 2017. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2017/09/19/chase-koch-leadership-learning-is-a-lifelong.html?b=1505838087%5E21117300
  13. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  14.  Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  15. Maloney, Tom. “Koch Industries bets on tech: ‘Do it or we’ll end up in the Dumpster’.” The Los Angeles Times. August 19, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-16/charles-koch-son-steers-koch-industries-toward-tech
  16. Maloney, Tom. “Koch Industries bets on tech: ‘Do it or we’ll end up in the Dumpster’.” The Los Angeles Times. August 19, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-16/charles-koch-son-steers-koch-industries-toward-tech
  17. “Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  18. “Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  19.  Maloney, Tom. “Koch Industries bets on tech: ‘Do it or we’ll end up in the Dumpster’.” The Los Angeles Times. August 19, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-16/charles-koch-son-steers-koch-industries-toward-tech
  20. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  21. “Chase Koch Foundation.” Foundation Directory Online. Accesses February 19, 2022. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile/?collection=grantmakers&activity=result&key=7766399
  22. “Chase Koch.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekoch/
  23. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  24. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  25. [1] Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  26. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  27. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  28. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
  29. Tech Philanthropists. Chase Koch. Inside Philanthropy. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/guide-to-individual-donors/chase-and-annie-koch-donor-grants
  30. Severns, Maggie. “The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics.” Politico. December 14, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2022. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/14/koch-brothers-chase-charles-next-generation-223099/
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