# Max Novendstern

> Max Novendstern is the founder and CEO of Mana and a co-founder of Tools for Humanity, the company behind the early development of Worldcoin. His earlier work includes CommonPlace, a neighborhood civic platform co-founded with Peter Davis, the Harvard Political Review, Bridgewater, Wave and Omega One.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Mana
- **Organizations:** Mana, Tools for Humanity, Worldcoin, CommonPlace, Harvard Political Review, Bridgewater Associates, Wave, Omega One
- **Education:** Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Tools for Humanity and Worldcoin., Co-founded CommonPlace with Peter Davis., Selected for a 2011 Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellowship for work with CommonPlace.

## Career timeline

- **Before Harvard** — Organized an artisans’ cooperative in the highlands of Peru, according to a Knight Foundation biography.
- **2010** — Worked on HPRgument, the Harvard Political Review discussion blog.
- **2011** — Reportedly took leave from Harvard to develop CommonPlace with Peter Davis; named a Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellow for work with CommonPlace.
- **Before Worldcoin; exact dates unverified** — Worked as a Bridgewater investment associate and on Wave’s early team.
- **2018** — Listed as finance lead in the Omega One white paper.
- **2019** — Co-founded Tools for Humanity with Sam Altman and Alex Blania.
- **2023** — Worldcoin publicly launched on July 24; Novendstern was credited as a co-founder.
- **Current public biography, checked 2026-10** — Identifies himself as founder and CEO of Mana.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Tools for Humanity and Worldcoin.
- Co-founded CommonPlace with Peter Davis.
- Selected for a 2011 Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellowship for work with CommonPlace.
- Built HPRgument within the Harvard Political Review.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Photographic event records identify Novendstern as Mana’s founder and CEO participating in the Third Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa on May 30.
- **2026-10** — Research check: his public biography lists founder/CEO at Mana; Mana’s website describes an AI investment-research application. This is a verification date, not an announced launch date.

## Links

- Website: https://mnovendstern.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxnovendstern
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mnovendstern

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/max-novendstern
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21