By Lacie Blankenship
Turner MBA Impact Investing Network & Training (Turner MIINT), formerly known as MIINT, is an annual program co-produced by Bridges Impact Foundation and the Wharton Social Impact Initiative.
Turner MIINT allows business and graduate school students to get hands-on experience with impact investing. Participating students complete online learning modules and work on teams to thoroughly develop early-stage impact investment ideas.
“We’re excited to continue to connect Vanderbilt students with the experiential education that Turner MIINT provides,” says Kathleen Fuchs Hritz, Assistant Director of the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures (TFC). “There is real value in the interdisciplinary team experience, the connection to experienced and innovative investors, and the pursuit of and partnership with an entrepreneur who is balancing financial and social returns.”
Each year, the TFC supports a team of 4-5 students to represent Vanderbilt. The 2022 team consisted of Dariia (Dasha) Berezenska (MBA’23), Caleb Petersen (MBA’23), Ethan Tang (MSF‘22), Sumit Kar (MBA‘23), and Campbell (Scott) Goodman (MBA‘23), who were selected to participate in an application process.
Throughout the academic year, along with training modules, the students source and conduct due diligence on a company of their choice that combines impact with a compelling business model. In the spring, the students pitch their recommendations to a committee of industry leaders for the opportunity to win a $50,000 investment into the company they presented.
“The competition is broken down by stages,” says Berezenska. “We selected our company, did the due diligence over time, and then presented to 5 potential investors the intention to raise $50,000.”
More than 600 students from 35 schools around the globe participate in Turner MIINT each year. The program facilitates different networking opportunities, including the prompt to connect with a real company, virtual community training and discussions, advisory sessions, and network-wide calls.
“The network you build through Turner MIINT is very valuable,” says Berezenska. “Beyond my teammates, I intend to carry on a relationship with the company we chose. I don’t intend to just work with this company for Turner MIINT and forget about it.”
The Vanderbilt team worked with RingOn, a company centered on child safety. RingOn utilizes ring-shaped GPS trackers that allow children to notify their care provider when threatened. Children wearing a RingOn should always be able to use the toggle switch (thumb to ring finger) to trigger the app notification showing their exact location and streaming live audio. Rings can be connected to a family member’s smartphone, a volunteer network, or a public call center.
RingOn’s philanthropic arm, RingOn Foundation, ensures one ring will be donated to children in underserved communities for every ring sold at retail price.”
The 2022 Turner MIINT was completely virtual, but the program plans to return to in-person presentations next year.
“For me, one of the biggest takeaways was seeing how businesses have not only an economic impact but also a social impact,” says Berezenska. “The true incentive is the opportunity to go through the impact investment processes and intend to raise $50,000 as a student for a real company.”
“These are questions and experiences students are seeking when they come to graduate school – and they’re aligned with the opportunities we’re designing and providing through the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures at Owen,” says Hritz.
