Preventable Surprises

What Preventable Surprises does

Preventable Surprises is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank and convening organization that addresses systemic risks in financial services, focusing on highly probable but neglected ESG issues that the founders call "preventable surprises." Its operational model is research, publishing, and structured convening rather than commercial product development: it produces discussion notes and reports (for example, "Flip the Switch" on utility transition planning, the "Border & Surveillance Industries" stewardship analysis, and the "Great Wake-Up" on women's health and ESG), hosts week-long online dialogues (e.g., the January 2023 climate finance and behavior dialogue with roughly 60 participants), convenes investor roundtables and master classes, and runs the "Breaking the Fever" podcast in partnership with Ethical Systems. Active issue areas include climate disruption, the Corporate Lobbying Alignment Project (CLAP), biodiversity loss, human rights and migration, and governance topics such as corporate political spending.

The organization serves institutional investors (pension funds and asset managers), ESG practitioners and researchers, NGOs and advocacy organizations, and academia, with two primary customer segments — institutional investors and ESG practitioners — that consume its stewardship frameworks and engagement strategies. It does not sell products: all reports, podcasts, and event recordings are distributed without charge through its website and podcast platforms to maximize reach. Revenue comes exclusively from donations and sponsorship by foundations and individuals (US tax-deductible contributions are accepted via PayPal), and the organization explicitly does not accept direct funding from asset management firms in order to preserve independence. Operations are supported by a small internal team, a board including Chair Michael Musuraca, and a globally distributed network of senior advisers with backgrounds at USS, AXA IM, Generation Investment Management, T. Rowe Price, the Alan Turing Institute, the Isaac Newton Institute, and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR).

The entity in its current form was established in 2020 in New York State (EIN 84-5187476), succeeding a UK Community Interest Company founded in 2015 that became defunct in 2022. Founder Dr. Raj Thamotheram transitioned from CEO to Senior Adviser at the same time as the US reincorporation, with Jérome Tagger joining as CEO on 1 January 2020.

Name

Preventable Surprises

Legal name

Preventable Surprises, Inc.

Website

https://preventablesurprises.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Preventable Surprises is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank that researches and convenes dialogue on neglected systemic risks in finance — climate, biodiversity, human rights, and corporate governance — serving institutional investors and ESG practitioners through freely distributed reports, podcasts, and structured investor dialogues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

ESG Research and Investor Stewardship Advisory

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Continuity, Crisis Management & Resilience Planning (BPAKADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Safety, Monitoring & Social Listening (MPAAAOAA)

Keywords

• ESG research
• Investor stewardship
• Systemic risk advisory
• Climate finance dialogue
• Sustainable investing research

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Individual Donations: Preventable Surprises accepts support and sponsorship from foundations, individuals, and asset owners, provided it does not conflict with their independence. They do not accept direct funding from asset management firms. US taxpayers can make tax-deductible contributions via PayPal.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Preventable Surprises is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank that produces research publications, discussion notes, podcasts, and online dialogues addressing systemic risks in financial services. It convenes institutional investors, academics, NGOs, and scientists to develop forceful investor stewardship strategies on under-addressed ESG issues including climate disruption, biodiversity loss, human rights, and corporate political capture.

Product overview

Preventable Surprises operates as a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on responsible investment and ESG stewardship. The organization produces discussion notes, reports, and hosts online dialogues and podcasts (including the 'Breaking the Fever' podcast with Ethical Systems). Key initiatives include the Corporate Lobbying Alignment Project (CLAP), the Border & Surveillance Industries Stewardship Project, and climate finance behavior dialogues. Their work focuses on systemic risk management, investor stewardship, and addressing issues at the intersection of finance and sustainability including climate disruption, biodiversity loss, human rights, and corporate governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Corporate Lobbying Alignment Project (CLAP): A project examining corporate lobbying alignment with stated climate and sustainability commitments.
• Breaking the Fever
• Border & Surveillance Industries (BSI) Stewardship Project

Products and services

• Discussion Notes and Reports Research publications analyzing ESG issues, investor stewardship, and systemic risks. Includes discussion notes on topics such as women's health and ESG, climate finance behavior, and corporate lobbying alignment. Targeted at institutional investors and ESG practitioners.
• Breaking the Fever Podcast Podcast and online conversation series co-hosted with Ethical Systems, exploring ways to shape a better post-pandemic planet through dialogues with experts from various domains. Available on Spreaker and major podcast platforms.
• Climate Finance and Behavior Dialogues Week-long online dialogue series convening finance professionals, activists, academics, and experts to explore human factors and behavioral aspects of climate finance transformation.
• Corporate Lobbying Alignment Project (CLAP) Project tracking and analyzing corporate lobbying alignment with stated commitments and public policy positions, providing recommendations for institutional investors on corporate governance accountability.
• Border & Surveillance Industries Stewardship Project Project examining human rights risks and investor stewardship strategies related to companies involved in border security, migrant detention, and surveillance industries.
• Senior Advisers Network Global network of investment professionals, scientists, NGOs, and government experts providing expertise and collaboration on responsible investment and ESG issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosted week-long online dialogue on climate finance with ~60 participants from finance, activism, and academia
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ethical SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration partner for the Breaking the Fever podcast series and joint convening of online conversations on post-pandemic challenges. Ethical Systems is a research organization focused on ethical business culture.
• Erb Institute (University of Michigan) - Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint hosting of conversations on corporate political responsibility, including dialogue with Hon. Leo E. Strine on corporate political spending.
• Predistribution InitiativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner providing expertise on alternative economic models and stakeholder capitalism.
• Good LobbysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner focused on civic engagement and lobbying transparency.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner - coalition of nearly 300 faith-based institutional investors working on corporate responsibility issues.
• American PromisesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted conversation with Hon. Leo E. Strine on corporate political spending, part of CPRT collaboration.
• In This TogethersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted conversation with Hon. Leo E. Strine on corporate political spending, focused on bipartisan civic engagement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Carbon Tracker Initiative: Think tank focused on climate-related financial risk and stranded assets; narrower climate-finance remit but closely comparable research-and-advocacy operating model.
• Green Century Funds: Family of environmental mutual funds that engages portfolio companies on ESG and shareholder advocacy; an operational example of the stewardship model Preventable Surprises promotes.
• Proxy Impact: Proxy voting research and analytics firm for institutional investors; smaller, more commercial but shares the shareholder-stewardship and ESG-influence space.

Direct peers

• CERES: US nonprofit that convenes investors, companies, and policymakers on climate and sustainability risks; substantially larger but operates in the same nonprofit stewardship-thought-leadership space.
• ShareAction: UK-based nonprofit that mobilises investor stewardship and shareholder campaigns on ESG issues; the closest international analogue in mission and operating model to Preventable Surprises.
• Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR): Australia-based nonprofit promoting better corporate performance on human rights, environmental, and governance issues; senior adviser Brynn O'Brien is Executive Director, making it functionally a partner-peers in the same network.
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR): Coalition of ~300 faith-based institutional investors working on corporate responsibility; listed as a core partner of Preventable Surprises and operates a directly comparable stewardship-advocacy model.
• As You Sow: Nonprofit that engages institutional investors and files shareholder resolutions on ESG issues; comparable advocacy-and-research operating model with overlapping funder base.
• Majority Action: Nonprofit focused on corporate governance and shareholder voting; has overlapping leadership networks (Laura Berry is a founding board member of both organizations).

Broad incumbents

• US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment): Industry association for sustainable investing in the US; broader membership-and-research model that overlaps with Preventable Surprises' institutional investor audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubespreaker.com/show/breaking-the-fever

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Preventable Surprises