The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Bridges IMPACT +, the advisory arm of specialist fund manager Bridges Ventures, will soon host the third annual MIINT competition for student-led impact investing teams.

The MBA Impact Investing Network and Training (MIINT) is a national program, where student-led investment teams from ten top business schools learn to source and diligence impact investments, and compete for the chance to win a $50,000 investment into the company they present.

It is an initiative of Bridges IMPACT+, conducted in collaboration with the Wharton Social Impact Initiative. The third annual competition will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania.

“There is tremendous interest among students from business schools in the topic of impact investing, but there are few opportunities to learn from practical experience. MIINT gets students to think about how to evaluate the commercial viability of a company, how to assess its impact, and how to understand when the financial returns and the social or environmental benefit of a company can move in lock-step,” says Brian Trelstad of Bridges Ventures.

The MIINT Program simulates a traditional early stage investment fund and trains students on how to source, analyze, and conduct due diligence on early-stage companies that are not only attractive investment opportunities but also include a positive social or environmental impact.

Each school creates an investment thesis – focusing on investments in sectors ranging from the environment to education and financial inclusion to healthcare. The program takes students through a rigorous due diligence process, and each team narrows their own selection down to one company that they feel is a strong investment opportunity. Students presented multiple companies to campus-based “investment committees,” who then selected the most promising combination of impact and return to be presented at the national finals.

In this final stage of the competition on March 22, student teams from each school will have 30 minutes to present their final analysis and selection to a committee comprised of impact investing practitioners from across the country. Ron Moelis, the CEO of L and M Development Partners, a New York based real estate development company that focuses on community investment and development in urban areas, has agreed to consider an investment in the company presented by the winning team in the MIINT competition. Moelis is passionate about impact investing and has agreed to make the requisite investment as long as it meets the investors’ independent criteria.

“Our goal is to provide the best experiential education available in the field of impact investment,” says Jacob Gray, Senior Director of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative. “I think the students are inspired by the opportunity to test their mettle against some of the smartest MBA students in the world.”

Student teams, comprised of approximately 200 MBA students, have been participating throughout the academic year. These teams represent the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, Columbia Business School, David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, Goizueta School of Business at Emory University, Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley, Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Notes to editors

About Bridges IMPACT +

Bridges IMPACT + is the advisory arm of Bridges Ventures LLP (“Bridges Ventures”), a specialist fund manager dedicated to using an impact-driven investment approach to create superior returns for both investors and society at large. Bridges IMPACT + seeks to promote the growth of the sustainable and impact investment sector by offering practitioner-led advisory services based on Bridges Ventures’ 12 year experience of investing for financial returns and positive impact. www.bridgesventures.com

About Wharton Social Impact Initiative

Wharton Social Impact Initiative (WSII) is the institutional hub for social impact activities, information, and resources at Wharton. Established in 2009, WSII harnesses the knowledge and creativity of the Wharton community to investigate, create, and implement solutions to enduring social problems. It supports faculty, students, and alumni in the drive to use business knowledge and practices to enhance the greater good of the local community, the nation, and the world. For more information, visit socialimpact.wharton.upenn.edu.