Social impact investing

Question

As a former trader, this would be a big leap for me, but i'm very much interested in social impact investing, focusing on the private sector abroad. I know this is not a "traditional" post-MBA route, and my guess is there is very limited on-campus recruiting, but I'm curious to know if anyone on here has experience in this arena and could shed some light on it.

From what i've gathered, wharton/haas/kellogg/yale/columbia have pretty decent programs in social enterprise. From a strategic standpoint, it might be tough to write compelling career goals essays since i don't have experience in this field.

anonymous2012 · Answer

I would consider Fuqua, too. They have a very strong impact investing program. Cathy Clark is a thought leader in the space and leads their impact investing fellowship. It is also an area of interest for me, too... Obviously, Acumen would be a good start for the type of organization to look at.

anonymous2012 · Answer

Also, as far as experience, find a social enterprise firm and begin to volunteer there. I found an excellent nonprofit/social enterprise consulting firm that I volunteered around 5 hours per week to gain experience in the space. It was not to bolster my resume, but to gain relevant experience in my desired field. The very concept of social enterprise; however, is rooted in the fact that you are tackling social issues with strategic business decisions. As long as this was your perspective, you could sell any relevant business experience as relevant social enterprise experience.

Jordajm · Answer

Making the leap from trading to impact investing may not be as hard as you think . . . 
I work for a large brokerage/advisory firm and I'm part of a small team that's working to grow the opportunity for our clients to do impact investing in their brokerage accounts. 
This is an exciting and emerging field that is still ripe with opportunity. 
Perhaps a few years in the field would get you into the school you want, or let you do what you want without all the debt?
Let me know if you want to know more.

Posted from my mobile device

Jordajm · Answer

Sorry, couldn't reply to your message for some reason, so I'll post here.
You might look at and talk to the funds that are listed on the IA50 (impactassets dot org) as well as reading Jed Emerson's book from last year on Impact Investing.
Your concept of reinvesting profits from a successful fund is just the tip of the iceberg of the possibilities that exist in impact investing.
Also, a good way to keep up with the space is to set up a google alert for "impact investing" . . . That's how I found this thread :-)

My bet is that you will need to be current on what's happening to write a good essay because things are moving so fast.

Just some ideas . . .

Good Luck!

Posted from my mobile device

My bet is that you will need to be current on what's happening to write a good essay because things are moving so fast. Just some ideas . . . Good Luck! Posted from my mobile device

lucifer0993 · Answer

Submitted! Good luck, all!

AdmitJA · Answer

Hey guys!

I'm bumping this thread. Where did you guys join? How did you find your schools for a career in impact investing? What's your advice for prospective applicants interested in impact investing?

Social impact investing

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