Ted Orben’s Post

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Sustainable Investing Associate at J.P. Morgan! This promotion coincidentally came on the same day that I spoke to the firm's Asset & Wealth Management line of business alongside my colleague, Shayna Finkelstein, on the exciting AI innovation we are seeing across the firm. We reflected on the value of experimenting with LLMs and the ways by which J.P. Morgan is leading the industry with cutting edge AI projects and initiatives!

Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming the incredible new cohort of 371 J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management summer analysts alongside the CEO of the US Private Bank, David Frame. Dave and I spoke about the culture at J.P. Morgan, the value of raising your hand and asking “why,” and the traits that contribute to successful leaders. Shortly after this session, I was joined by my close colleagues, Nathan Ridgley, Joshua Parker and Sarah A. Stillpass to speak with the Summer Analysts and our incoming MBA Summer Associates about the importance of prioritizing mental health and wellness at work. We discussed the various resources available to J.P. Morgan employees alongside the work our Mental Health and Wellness Council is doing to destigmatize mental health challenges. I feel lucky to work for a company that places such high value on learning, professional growth, and mental wellbeing, and it is a privilege to be able to welcome so many incredible new minds to the firm.

With 3 weeks to go until I run across the starting line of the NYC Marathon, I have taken time to reflect on the generous donations I’ve received from my friends and family. I have been raising necessary funding for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) through my team, Fred's Team. MSKCC resonates closely with me, as it does with hundreds of others, due to the life changing cancer research and treatment they pioneer. ~50% of my fundraising goal remains, and given the ongoing, tragic, and unspeakable events occurring in Israel, I am combining my fundraising efforts for MSKCC by matching donations with a personal grant to critical on-the-ground resources in Israel supported by American Friends of Magen David Adom. For every person who gives to my fundraising efforts in the next 48 hours, I will personally donate $5 to Magen David Adom. To add onto this matching donation, I am grateful to work for J.P. Morgan, who is also generously matching employee donations to Magen David Adom. Your donation to my fundraising efforts for MSKCC will be amplified not once, but twice, to Israel’s Red Cross. If you choose to donate, please use the link below. Thank you for any support you are able to provide, and please feel free to share with your networks! This message is solely in my personal capacity.

It is with great pleasure that I am announcing my new role as a Venture Capital Analyst at Buoyant Ventures! Buoyant is an early stage venture fund investing in climate mitigation and adaptation solutions, and the fund’s investment thesis is one that closely aligns with my values as it pertains to the climate crisis.  As the first undergraduate hire to the Buoyant team, I am grateful to both General Partners, Amy Francetic and Allison Myers, for instilling their support and trust in me as it pertains to my background in and understanding of the field of climate tech. I am looking forward to working alongside the rest of the talented members of the Buoyant team over the next few months until my full-time position begins at J.P. Morgan this July! The capital that Buoyant will allocate to climate tech startups will develop and scale some of the most important technologies and innovations capable of addressing the past, present, and future effects of climate change, and I could not be more excited to have such an impactful role in solving what I repeatedly state as being the world’s most pressing issue.

I am looking forward to moderating a panel conversation at the Future of Sustainable Investing Conference on the rapidly expanding sector of climate tech. The Climate Tech panel will feature three individuals who I admire professionally, Helen Bertelli, Michael DeLucia, and Amy Francetic, and I am honored to facilitate this necessary conversation. Registration is still open, so get your tickets and tune in virtually tomorrow, March 11th!