American actor and venture capitalist Ashton Kutcher shocked Ellen talk show yesterday with a major announcement - a $4 million donation to the Ellen Degeneres Wildlife Fund from Ripple (XRP/USD) .
During the show, Kutcher, co-founder of VC firm Sound Ventures, and his business partner Guy Oseary mentioned that Ellen is always thinking about someone else, finding a way to support others while never asking for anything in return. The two revealed that they had come up with the plan during an investment meeting with Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and CEO Brad Garlinghouse.
“We talked to Chris and Brad, there’s this amazing human being and all they ever do is think about other people they can give to. Whether it’s in New Orleans, whether it’s in Montecito, whether it’s the people that come here, the people out there, you’re always thinking about everyone else and we wanted to show you that people are thinking about you,” Kutcher said.
Kutcher made the donation on behalf of the company live on-air using an XRP payment app, demonstrating the platform’s ability to facilitate instant cross-border transactions.
“Now, usually people come out with a big giant check and do the ‘big giant check thing’, but we can transfer it into Rwandan Francs right now right here, and all you need to do is push this button,” he said.
The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund aims to protect endangered species by raising support for international conservation projects. The fund’s current focus is on saving mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
By Nadya Astam