Social ventures: Fletcher MIINT needs you!

Student Stories writer McKenzie writes today about an activity with which she’s involved this fall — an activity that you can join in, too!

It seems like just yesterday that we started the fall semester.  Yet here we are, with fewer than 10 days until December and 25 days until the end of the fall semester.

As the saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun,” and fun I’ve been having!  While Fletcher has no shortage of hectic weeks, it also offers ample opportunities to pursue activities specifically related to my career focus.  With this in mind, I want to take a minute to tell you about a great opportunity to join the Fletcher Social Investment Group (FSIG) team, which competes in the MBA Impact Investing Network and Training (MIINT) competition each year, and ask for your help.

What is MIINT?

The MIINT is an experiential learning program designed to give students at business and graduate schools a hands-on education in impact investing.  As a member of FSIG’s team this year, I’m helping to source, screen, diligence, and ultimately pitch an early-stage social venture to an investment committee in April at the Wharton School.  The winning team’s company will receive up to $50,000 towards a total funding round of $250,000 to $1,000,000.  While preparing for the competition, we also complete a series of eight online learning modules developed by the MIINT’s main sponsors, Bridges Ventures and the Wharton Social Impact Initiative.  It’s a great opportunity to step into the shoes of an impact investor and get first-hand experience identifying and valuing prospective investments.

What kind of companies is this year’s MIINT team looking for?

The MIINT program experience exposes us to the challenges associated with scaling impact investing — specifically, sourcing financially, socially, and environmentally attractive deals.  To do this, our team is leveraging Fletcher’s uniquely international network to identify sustainable business models that efficiently deliver key products or services, and improve quality of life for individuals in emerging markets.  For more information, check out our investment thesis here.

Excited? Here’s how you can help before even getting to Fletcher:

We have just three weeks left to source the best deals possible before identifying a shortlist of companies on which to conduct due diligence.  If you or those in your network know of any companies that meet the investment criteria described on our website, we’d love to consider them for investment.  The website also provides more information about our team.

Tell interested companies to complete our contact form as soon as possible to be considered for funding!

Note: Supporting FSIG’s MIINT team is voluntary and has no bearing on admissions decisions to The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.