(Above) Joe at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference, a conference series he created to support female business owners.
Who is Joe?
Joseph B. Sprung is a life-long entrepreneur and visionary. He’s the founder of JBS Financial, which provides investment banking, consulting, and venture capital services. Joe is also the mastermind behind the venture capital start-up 30 Second Pitch™, and the non-profit Bear Givers—all of which are based out of New York City. Aside from lots of hard work and a bit of luck, Joe attributes his success to his instincts and intuition.
Inspiration
The seed was planted after Joe provided services to a high-profile celebrity in the fitness industry, saving her hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. She was carrying the burden of hefty tax penalties that had built up over 4 years before she was referred to Joe. Joe was able to get the entire penalty amount abated, succeeding where her previous lawyers and accountants had failed. He also prepared her personal tax returns, and drafted financial statements necessary for her divorce proceedings. She was delighted and relieved, conveying her gratitude and appreciation for his outstanding service multiple times. However, when he invoiced her for his services, instead of payment, he received a letter from her attorneys stating, “It is our understanding that the alleged services…were provided by Mr. Sprung on a pro bono basis.”
This was amusing, considering the wealth of his client. Joe jokingly thought to himself that he might as well go into business on a purely pro bono basis! But the thought sparked a real idea. Why not create a platform for legitimate pro bono exchanges—and not just in legal, accounting and finance, but for a whole host of services? Joe had seen for himself, time and time again, how people in need simply need to be paired with people who can help. And so the beginning of what would become Joe ProBono was born…
What People Are Saying
