Young Founders Have Raised $100 Million for Campaigns
Sathvik Kaliyur and Jonathan Li built a national fundraising firm for progressive candidates after high school.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Elections
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Sathvik Kaliyur and Jonathan Li, aged 24 and 22, have raised more than $100 million for progressive political campaigns across 25 states through their firm, NWF Strategies. The duo founded the company after high school to democratize fundraising processes.
Why it matters
The firm seeks to modernize political finance by utilizing internal contact lists and digital outreach that mirrors the candidate's personal voice. This approach has supported notable candidates including Senate hopefuls Abdul El-Sayed and Angie Nixon.
NWF Strategies has raised over $100 million in total funds across 25 states. The firm successfully managed fundraising for Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign, which secured $8 million from 18,000 donors.
The players
Sathvik Kaliyur
The 24-year-old co-founder of NWF Strategies previously served as the finance director for Zohran Mamdani.
Jonathan Li
The 22-year-old co-founder of NWF Strategies established the firm to help progressive candidates modernize their fundraising.
Zohran Mamdani
A political candidate who ran for New York City mayor in 2025 with fundraising support from NWF Strategies.
Abdul El-Sayed
A political candidate who received fundraising services from NWF Strategies during his bid for the U.S. Senate.
Angie Nixon
A political candidate who utilized the services of NWF Strategies for her U.S. Senate campaign.
The details
NWF Strategies operates by building targeted contact lists and deploying text messages and emails designed to mimic a candidate's personal communication style. The firm was founded by Kaliyur and Li following their high school graduation, leveraging strategies like the 1,000 cold calls initially made by Kaliyur to build initial momentum.
Timeline
Kaliyur and Li founded the firm after graduating from high school.
Zohran Mamdani ran for New York City mayor in 2025.
The article was published in 2026.
Political Context
NWF Strategies follows the pattern set by the digital-first fundraising model popularized by the 2008 Barack Obama campaign. The firm evolves this legacy by shifting focus toward hyper-personalized, candidate-voiced automated outreach to mobilize small-dollar donors.
The firm's influence on campaign finance means voters are likely to see an increase in personalized digital outreach from candidates in their local elections. Residents should expect more aggressive, candidate-mimicking communication as these automated strategies scale nationwide.
The takeaway
The rise of young-led firms like NWF Strategies demonstrates a pivot toward tech-enabled fundraising that mimics individual candidate voices to drive engagement. Candidates increasingly rely on these automated, high-touch digital strategies to remain competitive in modern electoral cycles.
Further reading
For more on the current landscape of campaign finance, visit Elections.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Campaigns & Elections.
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