Craig Hatkoff

Craig Hatkoff is a New York-based entrepreneur, real estate investor, philanthropist, and cultural leader with a diverse career spanning real estate, finance, media, and social innovation. Hatkoff began his career in real estate after business school at Chemical Bank, where he became one of the pioneers of the real estate securitization industry. He later co-founded Victor Capital Group, a real estate merchant bank, and went on to co-found Capital Trust, a New York Stock Exchange company formed with financier Sam Zell, which became one of the real estate industry's largest mezzanine lenders. With an MBA from Columbia University and a foundation in finance, Hatkoff has applied his entrepreneurial skills across multiple sectors.

Hatkoff co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal to support the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The festival, launched within 120 days without a formal business plan, has grown into one of the world's most recognized film festivals. The three co-founders received the inaugural September 11 National Museum and Memorial Foundation "Notes of Hope Award" for Distinction in Rebuilding.

Hatkoff also co-founded the Disruptor Foundation with Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, known for disruptive innovation theory, and serves as chief curator of the annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. The foundation produces the annual Disruptor Awards, which have recognized more than 250 honorees, and publishes the "Off White Papers," featured in Forbes magazine and Big Think. Hatkoff expanded the initiative globally by bringing the Disruptor Awards to Hiroshima, Japan, marking the first overseas edition of the event.

Hatkoff formed Turtle Pond Publications LLC, a private entertainment and media company that invests in start-ups and operates as a publisher of children's books through Scholastic Books. The company specializes in non-fiction picture books based on animals with stories that highlight resilience and emotional learning. Alongside his daughters, Juliana and Isabella, Hatkoff co-authored the Turtle Pond Collection, an 11-book series including the No. 1 New York Times best-seller "Owen & Mzee." The series has received awards such as the American Book Association Book of the Year and the Christophers Award, and "Owen & Mzee" has been published in 17 languages, including Swahili, Braille, Arabic, and Hebrew.

Throughout his career, Hatkoff has served on the boards of organizations including Sesame Workshop, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wildlife Direct, Child Mind Institute, Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, and Mandela Institute for Humanity. His work across real estate, film, innovation, and publishing positions him as a recognized voice on entrepreneurship, disruptive thinking, and reinvention.