Jewish Philanthropy Podcast · Dovid M Cohen

Adam Nash: Technology & Philanthropy

·51 min·3 clips

A charity habit for kids becomes the reason Daffy exists.

David Cohen introduces Adam Nash as a seasoned technology executive now leading Daffy.org. The conversation starts with Adam's current work and quickly moves into how money can be used to affect lives. Adam explains Daffy as a modern community and platform for giving. He talks about moving from for-profit leadership into not-for-profit impact. The discussion stays grounded in personal history. Adam shares that his family was shaped by his grandfather Monroe Nash, whose path ran from hauling fish to building businesses. He describes that story as an early lesson in what persistence can do. That business history still clearly matters to him. David keeps the conversation moving with direct, curious questions. Adam responds thoughtfully, connecting career decisions to earlier mentors and teachers. He mentions learning from Clay Christensen at Harvard. He also points to Reid Hoffman as one of the strongest teachers he has had in strategic thinking. Those names become part of a larger picture about how ideas get passed along. The episode treats business school as a place where real thinking happened, not just a prestige marker. It also shows how Adam sees leadership as something relational, not just technical. The move to philanthropy is framed as an extension of that relational view. Money, in this frame, is less about accumulation than about direction. That makes the interview feel like a bridge between technology and Jewish philanthropy. David's tone stays warm and familiar throughout. Adam's answers stay accessible rather than jargon-heavy. The result is a conversation that favors lived experience over formal theory. It is especially attentive to how families, schools, and mentors shape a person's sense of purpose. By the end, the episode has sketched a clear link between career success and giving back. It leaves Adam's work at Daffy as part of a broader story about using modern tools for communal good.

As heard by us

A reflective founder conversation that links technology, family history, and Jewish philanthropy.

Adam Nash's conversation moves from technology into the not-for-profit world around Daffy, and it keeps circling back to the family history and early lessons that shaped his view of the work.

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Want a founder story that turns toward giving?

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