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Jim Van Eerden is a Co-founder and Managing Director of The Helixx Group, a merchant bank for high-impact entrepreneurs that is based in Indianapolis. Jim heads up the firm’s media and philanthropy ventures. His commentary involving media and non-profit work has appeared in USA TODAY and other publications, and he has been a speaker at the National Press Club and forums internationally, including a recent guest lectureship at Harvard on the subject of "Philanthropy 2.0."

Jim first became involved in film investing with the Academy Award nominated short film, MOST (2003). He has since served in Executive Producer roles for several award-winning feature films – including Bobby Jones (2004), The Ultimate Gift (2007) and The The Perfect Game (2010), as well as for the highly acclaimed documentary feature films, WarChild (2008) and Running the Sahara (2009), which he executive produced with Matt Damon. He is currently involved in the distribution of the acclaimed documentary film, I WANT YOUR MONEY (2010).

In addition to film-making, Jim’s media involvements include serving as Chief Editor of LIFEⁿ Media, a niche publishing house. He’s also active in the social media world. Through a recent engagement with senior executives at PepsiCo, he helped shape the innovative pepsi refresh project, which is awarding millions of dollars in charitable funds to address local community needs based upon online crowd voting and participation.

Jim's work in philanthropy has involved him in numerous board roles. Together with Mia Hamm, Steve Nash, Serena Williams and others, he co-founded and is on the Board of MISSION Products , the world's leading athlete-engineered skincare company. He has served as Board Chairman for H2O Africa Foundation (a large-scale water charity campaign), and as a founding Board Director for BDA Foundation (a non-profit effort to advance biotechnology for sustainable development in Africa). He is on the board of The Society for Classical Learning, and has served as a member of the Board of Governors for Opportunity International (the world's largest faith-based micro-lending agency) and for Wilberforce Forum (Chuck Colson's worldview ministry) - for whom he originated “The Centurions Fellowship.”

Prior to co-founding The Helixx Group, Jim co-founded (in 1995) and led a national technology firm that partnered with Global 2000 companies to help them compete against emerging “dot-com” competitors. The company grew to include about 150 employees across its various subsidiary operating units, before a merger prompted Jim's exit from the company. In that role, he served as lead advisor to senior executives from industry titans including Southwest Airlines, USA TODAY, GM, Pearson Education and others in helping them to launch technology-driven start-ups, including the country's first K-12 Internet community portal (www.edgate.com).

Jim had previously worked with a brand management company that specialized in global sports sponsorships. Through engagements with Coca-Cola, M&M/Mars and American Airlines, Jim coordinated numerous national brand marketing programs. He also served as lead counsel in an engagement for the 1994 World Cup Organizing Committee, was retained to develop concepts for the Torch Run element of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and helped launch a Fourth of July tradition in the wake of 9.11 known as "The American Tribute," which involved a national media campaign that he coordinated with The White House and other partners.

Jim graduated from the Jesuit-run Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, and then attended Grove City College, where he was named a Presidential Scholar. He has completed graduate study certificate at Oxford University (St. Peter's College), has an MA in philosophy, an MBA from Wake Forest University, and is presently a candidate for a doctoral degree in Education. He and his wife Rachel have eleven children and live on a family homestead near Greensboro, North Carolina.

09 September 2010