Welcome back, students! We understand that your Penn and Wharton experiences look very different than you may have imagined, and we acknowledge how difficult this time is for so many reasons.
Like all of you, this fall, the Wharton Social Impact team will be working remotely. We will miss in-person time together, but we’re grateful for the chance to continue this work with you in the safest fashion for everyone.
Here are several opportunities to explore this academic year:
1. WIVA (Wharton Impact Venture Associates)
Experience impact investing today and work on real impact venture capital deals. By joining Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA), you’ll get hands-on training in sourcing social impact companies and conducting rigorous due diligence. You’ll also link entrepreneurs with potential investors to facilitate opportunities for real impact investments. Apply by 9/9. Open to Penn/Wharton undergrads, grads, and PhD students.
2. MIINT (MBA Impact Investing Network & Training)
Learn more about impact investing alongside peers all over the world. MIINT is a global impact investing training program with 30+ business schools that culminates with a final pitch competition. Joining MIINT@Wharton will provide you with supplementary training and networking opportunities. Apply by 10/14. Open to Wharton MBAs and Penn graduate students.
3. TIPC (Total Impact Portfolio Challenge)
Aspiring to be a wealth or investment advisor? Put your skills to the test to meet your client’s impact and financial goals. The Total Impact Portfolio Challenge is an annual competition where you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and experience to design and execute investment portfolios that maximize impact across asset classes. Apply by 10/30. Open to Wharton MBAs.
4. Jacobs Impact Entrepreneur Prize
First-year MBAs, do you have plans to launch or expand your social enterprise? The Jacobs Impact Entrepreneur Prize can help power your education-related start-up. Three awardees will receive funding ($5K–$50K) to sustain the development of their venture, connect with a global network of supporters and advisors, and attend virtual networking and learning sessions. Learn more and apply by 2/1. Open to first-year Wharton MBAs.
5. TSIS (Turner Social Impact Society) Alumni Venture Internship
Are you an environmental advocate? This year, one current TSIS member and one current Wharton/Penn student have the opportunity to intern with a TSIS and Wharton alum who leads rePurpose Global, a social enterprise dedicated to environmental action. Learn more about the role and find out how to apply. Rolling interviews. Open to Penn/Wharton undergrads and graduate students.
6. WAG (Wharton Africa Growth Partners)
Passionate about social and economic growth in Africa? Check out Wharton Africa Growth Partners. You’ll join a select group of students working with WSII and impact investors to increase the amount of capital available to African small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Apply by 9/18. Open to Wharton MBAs.
7. WISE Fellowship
Apply your classroom knowledge to real-world social impact projects. This year, we are recruiting one Fellow to synthesize and help write research from an ongoing WISE project. You’ll gain experience doing translational writing by helping transform academic research on “urban analytics” into content for a broad audience. Apply by 9/9. Open to Penn/Wharton undergrads, grads, and PhD students.
8. Impact Investing Virtual Coffee Chats
Last semester, we had several engaging discussions about impact investing with special guest speakers. We heard from Radhika Shroff (Managing Director, Impact Investing Private Equity at Nuveen), Joe Lipscomb (Co-Founder and Partner at Arborview Capital), and Gayle Jennings O’Byrne and Pialy Aditya (Co-Founders and General Partners at WOCstar Fund). We’ll send you updates throughout the year as other industry experts join us in conversation. Sign up to be in the loop on events.
9. Dollars and Change Podcast
Have you checked out our podcast, Dollars and Change? Grab your headphones and a coffee, and catch up on episodes with leading industry experts who are changing the world through social enterprises, impact investing, corporate social responsibility programs, social impact research, and more.
Visit the Wharton Social Impact website for more ways to stay connected.
— Nisa Nejadi
Posted: August 31, 2020
