In a lively White House Garden Brunch ceremony, Van Jones introduces Arun Gupta as a rare figure who navigates the intersection of business, government, and academia. Gupta is highlighted as the founder of the Noble Reach Foundation, a public‑private partnership catalyst that leverages his former venture‑capital background to drive social impact. The foundation is the founding partner of US Tech Force, an ambitious program designed to recruit, train, and place about 1,000 early‑career technology professionals into federal roles, likened to a "Teach for America" for the government. Van Jones also promotes Gupta’s upcoming book, The Mission Generation, describing it as a bestseller that outlines a new blueprint for work and public service. The segment culminates with the presentation of the Garden Brunch Mission Generation Award to Arun Gupta, celebrating his efforts to change Washington from within.
Two of the best looking guys here. Bald, bald.
Just no, no, absolutely. Hey, look, um, some people— y'all just noisy as hell.
We're gonna make you shush. We're gonna shush you. We're gonna shush you.
It's important. It's important because there's not that many people in the world like the guy we're about to bring to the stage. You know, some people look at the intersection between business, government, and academia, and what they see is a minefield of just impossible conflicts. There's one guy that looks at that, and what he sees is a crossroads of potential collaboration. His name is Arun Gupta. He is the founder— yeah, Arun Gupta. I'll say it again, Arun Gupta. He's the founder of something called the Noble Reach Foundation. And they're not just talking about public-private partnerships, they make it happen. And one reason they can do it is because this guy used to be a venture capitalist. He is now a venture catalyst for good. And I love this man. And David loves this man. He wants to brag on him, too.
Yeah. So, so I had to write mine down. I'm not as smart or polished as Van. So I started my career in the military. I graduated from West Point. Started my career in the military and then followed on and worked in the Senate for Arlen Specter. And what that time taught me was that government, not just about government, but business and life, and there's no more noble calling than to work in public service or in government. Noble Reach, what Arun started, was recently named the founding partner of US Tech Force, an ambitious, innovative initiative to recruit, train, and deploy roughly 1,000 early career tech workers into 2 roles inside the federal government. So we're gonna recruit smart kids, the best and brightest in America, not to go work at Silicon Valley, but to come work for Dan Driscoll in the Army, and the Navy, and the Department of Labor, and for Ethan Klein at, you know, in different roles in the government. So think of it as the federal government's Teach for America. It's exactly the kind of bold, practical idea Washington needs more of. And if running a foundation at that level weren't enough, Arun is also— this is my shill for his book— Arun is also taking the time to write— he's writing a second book. First was a bestseller. This one's going to be a bestseller too. The Mission Generation, out on May 5th. That tackles the tectonic shifts in reshaping how we define work, and it gives a blueprint and makes a compelling case for the power of public service as a calling, not just a career. So please join me, everybody. Quiet down in the back. Quiet down. We want to— please join me as we congratulate and recognize someone who isn't waiting for Washington to change. He's helping change it. Himself. So Arun Gupta, please up and accept this year's Garden Brunch Mission Generation Award. Be quiet for Tammy. Arun Gupta.
