Mark E. Curry is an American financial technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. Curry is the founder of SOL Partners, Reform Online Lending, Executive Pride and the Mark E. Curry Family Foundation. In December 2016, Curry acquired the Puerto Rican newspaper NotiCel. Curry is a native of Tonganoxie, Kansas and currently resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Curry founded the MacFarlane Group in 2010. The MacFarlane Group was a professional services firm that focused on back office support, innovation in product and service models, and technological resources. In October 2016, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, an American Indian tribe in Oklahoma, announced its acquisition of MacFarlane Group.
Reform Online Lending
Curry is founder of Reform Online Lending. The group describes itself as promoting "sensible regulatory reforms that preserve consumer access to credit" and endorsing "self-policing the best way to root out fraudulent operators" in the industry. In an open letter addressed to the online lending industry, Curry condemned unethical practices by some lenders, saying these bad actors "sully our reputations by claiming to be representatives of our industry. These activities are immoral, illegal, and should be condemned by every legitimate business in our industry. We must work together to shine a light on these crooks and choke off their access to consumers."
Philanthropic work
Executive Pride
Mark Curry is the founder of Executive Pride, a national network of executives supporting LGBT rights. In a 2016 Huffington Post commentary, Curry described how his experience coming out shaped his experiences as a business owner and manager, stating – “It is imperative that executives and business owners, particularly those who are part of the LGBT community, conscientiously create an LBGT-friendly environment in corporate America.” Curry has been an outspoken public representative for the LGBT business community, particularly on issues of anti-LGBT legislation at the state level. Hours after the 2016 Orlando night club shooting, Executive Pride made the largest donation of $30,000 to the GoFundMe set up to support the victims of the Pulse shooting.
Established in 2015, the Mark E. Curry Family Foundation supports programs in education, domestic violence prevention, foster care, gender equality, and economic development. The foundation hosts an annual “Club Curry” fundraising gala to benefit a selected grantee. The 2016 gala benefitted the San Jorge Children's Foundation in Puerto Rico.
