Kelly Keurzoneff (Givelist)

We’re about to leave San Francisco and return to Paris. We’ve been deeply moved by the optimism of the people here. Every time we spoke about our grand dream, we were never met with skepticism—only encouragement, and offers to help make it real. We came here to seek funding for our project: a New Statue of Liberty, and to open a foundry in San Francisco. We ended up finding even more support than we had hoped for. Back home, when we tried to find funds, bankers treated us like we were crazy—some were nearly ready to call the asylum (from which we had escaped!). Here, we found backing from venture capital funds like @1517fund and @fdotinc , along with generous benefactors who wrote us substantial checks. It’s an extraordinary feeling to have discovered this city, where everything seems possible. And at the same time, it’s heartbreaking to realize how rare this is elsewhere—this ability to dream. The most precious thing you have here is your optimism—your belief in dreams. It might be the most important thing in the world. Protect it. It’s incredibly rare, and incredibly precious. We hope to return as soon as possible, to open our foundry and begin building!