Since Day One: Naveen Jain’s Commitment to Philanthropy
Intelius co-founder Naveen Jain possesses a deep sense of community that is reflected in his six-year leadership at the firm. The Bellevue-based Jain seeks not only protecting communities by leveraging the Internet as a medium where individuals, families and businesses can access on-demand intelligence and security services. He also aims at being a part in improving the lives of community members through philanthropy, a commitment he made since day one.
Intelius is an information commerce company that offers online background searches, verification services and people searches at an affordable cost. Co-founded in January 2003 by Naveen Jain, it has provided security and peace of mind to members of the community. It provided discounted subscription for the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club to screen prospective child care handlers and adult mentors to ensure parents of their children’s safety. It also gave out price cuts on its award-winning identity theft prevention service IDWatch to senior war veterans who were put at risk for identity theft. In 2005, it supplemented Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by providing free background checks and criminal checks to the relief service website Homesforkatrina.org to ensure peace of mind for both hosts and refugees.
Giving is part of the firm’s culture and Naveen Jain tries to foster this culture among its employees. A philanthropy program was established in order to make its employees part of the campaign to make a difference in the community.
The company’s corporate giving has made an impact much-appreciated by the community. It has contributed over $1 million in grants and in-kind donations to over 50 local and national nonprofit organizations addressing hunger, healthcare and children’s welfare since 2003. Despite economic hardship, it gave $210,000 in corporate donations for 2008, including a scholarship endowment at the University of Washington worth $170,000. Among its beneficiary organizations include Hopelink, Overlake Service League, Kindering Center, YouthCare, Treehouse, Seattle Children’s Hospital, the United Way and several others.
