Originally published on citybiz.
Today we’re speaking with entrepreneur and philanthropist Elliott Broidy, the Chairman and CEO of Broidy Capital Holdings, LLC and founder of multiple companies focused on defense, homeland security, AI, and public safety technologies.
Elliott Broidy is deeply involved in philanthropic and educational initiatives supporting Jewish causes and recently received the Visionary Award at the annual Jewish American Heritage Month Celebration on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in recognition of his leadership in national security, Jewish advocacy, education, and combating antisemitism.
Elliott, congratulations on receiving the Visionary Award. What does this recognition mean to you?
Thank you. As a proud Jewish American, the award is profoundly meaningful to me on two levels: because it is connected to Jewish American Heritage Month and because I received it in our nation’s capital.
I have always believed that success comes with responsibility. I have been fortunate in business, and I have tried to use that success not only to build companies, but also to support causes that strengthen our communities, protect public safety, preserve Jewish history, and combat antisemitism. To be recognized for that work is humbling, and I am grateful to Project Legacy for having honored me in this way.
A major focus of your philanthropy has been Jewish causes and combating antisemitism. Why has that become such a priority for you?
The events of recent years — and especially on and after October 7 — have made clear that antisemitism is not a relic of history. It is an acute and growing threat that must be confronted seriously and proactively.
One of the projects I am particularly proud to support is ARCHER at House 88, the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism, and Radicalization, which is located in the former home of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, in Oświęcim, Poland. You may know the house from the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest, in which it is prominently featured. Höss lived in splendor in that house with his wife and five children while orchestrating genocide just next door in the camp.
There is something profoundly meaningful about transforming a place once associated with the administration of mass murder into a center dedicated to combating hatred, extremism, and antisemitism, using the most cutting-edge of technologies in doing so.
As necessary as it is to study the past, we must be active in the present, because as I just mentioned, hatred of Jews and other forms of extremism have not gone away. In some instances, they have mutated, but at bottom they are the same primordial hatreds we have seen before. It is incumbent on us to understand how extremist ideologies evolve and how to recognize warning signs before tragedy occurs. We are living in a time where information moves faster than ever. Hatred hitches a ride to this torrent of information, which is why we are witnessing a veritable explosion of it online. That extremism, of course, spills into the real world and has horrible consequences: intimidation, violence, and murder.
Institutions focused on research, education, and public awareness are critically important if we want future generations to understand both the horrors of the past and the responsibility they carry moving forward.
You acquired an original architectural drawing of the Auschwitz-Birkenau crematoria. What motivated you to do that?
The drawing is an extraordinary and haunting historical artifact. When I learned it was available, I felt strongly that it needed to be exhibited prominently as a lesson for all time.
There are people in the world who try to minimize, distort, or deny the Holocaust. A deeply disturbing Economist/YouGov poll published in December 2023 found that one out of five Americans aged 18-29 believe that the Holocaust is a myth. That statistic rang alarm bells for me. That number should be zero.
Physical artifacts matter because they confront denial with undeniable evidence. They remind people that these events were real, systematic, and engineered by human beings.
The amount that I spent for the drawing – $1.5 million – was deliberately chosen to honor the memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis. Ponder that number for a moment. One and a half million. It is unbearable. One and a half million young lives snuffed out, in service of a lunatic and evil ideology. One and a half million children murdered for the “crime” of being born Jewish. They were denied a future literally because they had been born.
That money will go toward a global early childhood curriculum that will place emphasis on altruism and empathy, which are key attributes that we need to instill in children early to inoculate them against the viruses of antisemitism, extremism, and hatred.
For me, preserving this artifact is about helping to ensure that future generations understand where hatred and dehumanization can lead if societies become complacent.
Your business career has focused heavily on public safety, defense, and emerging technology. What draws you to those sectors?
After 9/11, I felt a profound sense that I wanted my professional life to contribute more directly to protecting people and strengthening national security. That awful day changed the trajectory of my entire career.
My focus is on founding, investing in, and managing companies working in defense, homeland security, AI, and public safety. For example, my company LEO Technologies helps law enforcement agencies better manage overwhelming amounts of information so investigators can spend more time protecting communities and solving cases.
Technology is advancing rapidly, and I believe it can be an enormously positive force when applied responsibly – such as the ways ARCHER at House 88 is leveraging its power to go after the financing networks of extremist organizations. Some of the most important innovations today are the ones that help keep people safe, and I am happy to contribute to that.
What do you hope your legacy will be?
I would like to be remembered as someone who tried to use his opportunities constructively — to build businesses, create jobs, support important causes, and help strengthen institutions that matter.
I also hope people will remember that I cared deeply about protecting Jewish life and preserving Jewish history during a period when both became increasingly important. The fight against antisemitism, extremism, and historical ignorance is not someone else’s responsibility. It belongs to all of us.
At the same time, I hope my children and future generations understand that success is not measured only financially. It is measured by whether you leave a positive impact on other people and whether you use your position to help others succeed as well.
What advice would you give to younger entrepreneurs and business leaders?
Stay resilient and stay curious.
Every successful person experiences setbacks, disappointments, and failures. The difference is whether you allow those moments to define you or whether you treat them as opportunities to learn and improve.
I would also encourage younger leaders to think beyond quarterly results and ask themselves what kind of impact they want to have over the long term. Building a successful company is important, but building a meaningful life is even more important.
About Elliott Broidy
Elliott Broidy is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Broidy Capital Holdings, LLC, a private equity investment firm specializing in AI-driven public safety software. He is also the Co-Chair of the Fund to End Antisemitism, Extremism and Hate which supports the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88, an initiative of The Counter Extremism Project.