COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA292N.2
COURSE TITLE: Real Money impact investing: The $100,000 Challenge
This course is cross-listed with the FTMBA Program
UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units
INSTRUCTOR: Kim Wright-Violich
E-MAIL ADDRESS: kim_wrightviolich@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesday, 6:00 – 9:30PM
PREREQUISITE(S): None
CLASS FORMAT: The course will employ a combination of cases, short
lectures, distinguished guest speakers, group discussions and individual exercises,
and teamwork to explore social impact investing and decision-making.
REQUIRED READINGS: Multiple methods will be used in teaching this
course, including but not limited to readings on research in the field of
education in the developing world, excerpted thought leadership pieces,
business literature on driving change.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: 60% Team deliverables and presentation on
funding recommendations, 25% Class attendance and participation in discussions
and debates, 15% Individual assignments
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: This is a unique
course in which Silicon Valley’s Echidna Giving, an LCC devoted to distributing
philanthropic dollars to drive improvement in education in the developing
world. Echidna will provide the class with $100,000 (real dollars) and the
challenge to invest the money to generate significant social impact on
education in the developing world.Echidna, has already set aside
$150,000,000 to contribute and invest in girls’ education in the developing world.
By providing these funds for the class to invest they believe the class will
use student creativity and identify unique opportunities currently not funded
or underfunded. Students are expected to study the issues and
landscape, learn about the theory and practice of impact investing, assess best
practices in investing and education, identify and analyze investment
opportunities, present recommendations, and leverage the investment for maximum
social impact . Working in small teams, the class will recommend
investments to a juried panel.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Kim Wright-Violich is founder and principal of a consulting
practice focused on philanthropic and social sector consulting. Clients are
primarily Silicon Valley executives focused on international, systemic changes.
From 2000-2011 Kim served as founding CEO/President of Schwab Charitable, a
nonprofit corporation founded by Charles Schwab & Co. to increase
philanthropy by providing turnkey charitable asset management and philanthropic
services. Built from start-up by Kim to the second largest donor advised fund
in the US and the largest nonprofit corporation in California attracting over
13,000 customers, $5 billion in charitable assets and facilitating more than $2
billion in grants to more than 50,000 charities.
On Capitol Hill and with national media, Kim is a sought-after
thought leader and public speaker in social sector investment, influencing
legislation, published and widely quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Business
Week, CNBC, Bloomberg Television News, Investment News, Stanford Social
Innovation Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy and Trust and Estates Magazine.
Kim has been named one of San Francisco Bay Area’s 100 Most Influential Women
in Business by the San Francisco Business Times (2006-2011), and 50 most
influential women in the US for 2009 in wealth management by Wealth
Manager magazine.
Kim is a graduate of Stanford University, with a BA in Human
Biology and Public Policy; Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford
Executive Program.