George N. Goldman is founder, chairman and CEO of both Goldman & Co., an Illinois-based merchant-banking firm and of Asset Partners, Inc., its associated real estate investment corporation. During his forty-year business career, he has assembled investments for numerous projects, some with values exceeding $100 million.

As an entrepreneur with extensive experience in a wide array of business enterprises, George recognized that he had an ideal background to make a significant philanthropic impact. He has dedicated himself to applying his management skills and business acumen to seeking out groundbreaking research and treatment strategies and to generate funding for innovative ideas that may otherwise be passed over by more traditional funders, such as the federal government and the pharmaceutical industry.

From their own experiences at Mayo Clinic and from their early investigations, George and Judy came to strongly believe in the value of innovative research that challenges prevailing scientific tenets. But identifying the best concepts and ideas and moving such projects forward to the research laboratory required a totally different approach from what was currently in practice. George began developing unique research partnerships, now called Inspired Ventures, based on the business model of a limited partnership or venture capital investment and utilizing business disciplines and fundraising formats. Through Inspired Ventures, a philanthropic partnership is developed, joining motivated philanthropists with an innovative researcher to support unique research opportunities.