Overview
Inception
Student Impact Investing Fund (SIIF) at the London Business School, a student-led initiative founded in 2018, sources and conducts due diligence on seed-stage companies with venture-grade growth potential and measurable social impact at the core of their business model.
SIIF’s investment teams are comprised of graduate business students under leadership from second-year MBA’s. Through a highly selective process, teams are chosen based on commitment, experience, and industry knowledge. SIIF - LBS complements investment teams with support from the Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the AQR Asset Management Institute, as well as the larger LBS network of academic experts and alumni practitioners.
SIIF - LBS leverages the considerable experience and diversity of its investment teams to manage a rigorous investment process and provide value-added support to investee companies. SIIF - LBS participates in the MBA Impact Investing Network & Training program, a joint educational venture through Bridges Fund Management’s Impact+ team and the Wharton Social Impact Initiative. LBS teams have placed “first runner-up” in 2016 and 2018 competing against other top global business schools.
Our Donor
Atypical Partner has donated the funds to London Business School for the SIIF to be able to Operate and Invest in the selected venture. Atypical Partner houses a portfolio of innovative asset managers and gives them access to forward thinking investors. More than a financial holding, Atypical Partner is a world which offers seed capital, best in class services and unwavering support to it’s open community.
We are profoundly grateful for their support, as they are key partners for the SIIF to accomplish its three-fold mission:
Invest in sustainable and Impactful companies
Provide an immersive Education experience to LBS students
Ensure the continuity of the Impact with a use of the return on capital to support social Impact initaitives
Governance
The main Governance Bodies of the SIIF are the Executive Committee and the Investment Committee
Executive Committee
Formed by Faculty Sponsor, Office of Advancement, SIIF Co-presidents and chaired by the Executive Director of IEPC (Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital). The Executive Committee is responsible for making decision pertaining the administrative affairs, legal structure and operations of the funds. There is no regular meeting but it is reunited ad-hoc when one of these decisions need to be brought up to voting.
Investment Committee
Formed by one Faculty Advisor, the Executive Director of the IEPC and 5 independent voting members, from the investment and impact professional industry. The Investment Committee is solely responsible to oversee the investment process and make the investment decisions.
They meet several times a year, as required, to assess investment opportunities sourced and diligenced by the team.
DAF PROVIDER
The SIIF is a Donor Advised Fund and as such there is a fund’s Custodian (currently Prism) who is in charge of the keeping the funds before they are called for investment and to execute legal due diligence on the transfer once approved by investment Committee.
Our Partners
The SIIF Fund brings together several stakeholders, from LBS faculty, to IEPC, external advisors and much more. Some partners are strictly involved in the functioning of the fund and are worth mentioning for their close contribution to the activities
MIINT Competition
The MIINT competition is closely linked to SIIF. The idea of the fund emerged from LBS successful track record at the competition and from the reflection that all the students’ work should not go to waste. We rely on MIINT competition for the teams’ creation and access to the training material during the investment process, while all the operations and idea selection before the final is run by SIIF. All students participate to the MIINT competition until March. Then the winning team actually goes to the U.S. to compete in the final global round. SIIF will then invest the fund in the winner team venture, and potential residual funds in the runner-ups.
Social Impact Club and Impact Consulting Club
The Social Impact Club is the School Students Club under which the SIIF is managed. They are in charge of recruiting and selecting the President and operational roles of the funds.
The Impact Consulting Club will have a more active role with the portfolio companies, supporting them in the execution of their strategy (when needed) and with selected projects.