Why Humanitix is one of Australia's very best startups

Making a profit is atypical of most startups. Making substantial profits then giving them all away is next level.

Which is what ticketing startup Humanitix does, donating 100% of its profits to charity.

The Sydney-based online ticketing platform is backed by tech giants Google and Atlassian, and in just six years, the social impact startup cofounded by Josh Ross and Adam McCurdie has had a massive impact, donating a staggering $10.5 million to Indigenous education and literacy projects, health, sustainability and a range of charities.

That’s already a 3x return on investment from the initial philanthropic investment in their impact idea.

The latest donation was $4 million to Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save at Blackbird’s Sunrise.

The Life You Can Save is renowned for recommending research-based charities working on interventions across the multidimensional factors of poverty.

The nonprofit was co-founded by Australian philosopher Peter Singer in 2013, and it has since raised more than US$100 million in donations for its recommended nonprofits.

Co-CEO Andrea La Mesa said the Humanitix donation will boost their operational capacities and ability to raise even more funds.

“This unrestricted funding from Humanitix is transformative for The Life You Can Save,” he said.

“For every dollar donated to our operations, we are able to multiply that by more than ten times for our recommended nonprofits. We will use these funds to expand our reach to new markets, unlocking generosity globally and lifting more people out of poverty.”

For example, donating $4 million to The Fred Hollows Foundation, one of The Life You Can Save’s recommended nonprofits, could restore eyesight to over 50,000 people with curable blindness who cannot afford surgery.

Peter Singer, who spoke at Sunrise, said the donation will have a tenfold impact.

“This donation is proof of the success of the brilliant idea behind Humanitix: a ticketing agency that donates 100% of its profits to helping people in extreme poverty,” he said.

“It is also a game-changing donation for The Life You Can Save. For the first time, we have the resources to inform hundreds of millions of people about the charities that will do the most good with every dollar that they donate.

“Judging by our past performance, we expect to be able to multiply this donation tenfold, turning it into $40 million in donations to the most effective charities. That will save the lives of thousands of children, and provide life-changing benefits to thousands more, including restoring sight, providing reparative surgery to young women whose lives would otherwise be ruined by obstetric fistulas, and giving impoverished families the means to work their way out of poverty.”

Humanitix has been used by a range of events from music and arts festivals to the Startup Daily awards, and various startup events, including Sunrise, as well as the Cancer Council’s 7 Bridges Walk, and tours at the Australian Parliament House.

Cofounder Josh Ross said their idea a new business model for the social enterprise sector, where you don’t have to charge an “ethical premium”, has been widely embraced and helped tens of thousands of people as a result.

“Partnering with The Life You Can Save helps us ensure our hard work and profits are flowing to the most effective charities in the world, achieving our mission of turning resented ticket booking fees into a powerful force for good in the world,” he said.

Learn more about Humanitix at humanitix.com, and The Life You Can Save at thelifeyoucansave.org.au