WIVA students connected a gaming startup addressing youth mental health to crowdfunding platform

superbetter-logo

Students at Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA), an experiential investing program at the Wharton School, are excited to connect SuperBetter to the crowdfunding platform Republic for a potential impact investment. SuperBetter is a science-backed mental health startup addressing mental health challenges for youth.Read More

WIVA students research an Edtech startup helping children with learning challenges and direct it to a fundraising platform

After rigorous research, the student team at Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) is excited to suggest BrainLeap Technologies, an education technology startup, to the crowdfunding platform Netcapital in order for it to potentially receive funding from investors.Read More

Investing in Change at the 2022 Total Impact Portfolio Challenge

Each year the Total Impact Portfolio Challenge invites student teams to put theory into practice to create a “100% impact portfolio” for a hypothetical client. This year’s client was a fictitious $250 million dollar university endowment with a focus on tackling climate change and income inequality. The student teams were tasked with building a portfolio and demonstrating how the portfolio meets the endowment’s impact goals, financial return goals, target asset allocation, and risk tolerance.Read More

WSII Welcomes Impact Research Associate Riya Jagdish Kadam

headshot of riya kadam standing in front of a wood door

Wharton sophomore Linda Wu interviews Riya Jagdish Kadam, a new staff member at WSII. After graduating from UCLA, Riya now uses her background in research to help collect and analyze data for WSII’s Impact Finance Database. She is excited about exploring Penn’s campus—but not so excited for the weather. WhatRead More

WSII Welcomes Impact Program Associate Vaibhav Gowda

Vaibhav Gowda

Wharton sophomore Linda Wu interviews Vaibhav Gowda, a new staff member at WSII. After first hearing about WSII through a friend and a LinkedIn post, Vaibhav Gowda is now the team’s new Impact Program Associate. I had the chance to speak with him about his background in impact investing, whatRead More

Impact Finance Research Consortium Receives Award from Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3)

catalutic capital consortium logo

Catalytic capital – investment capital that is patient, risk-tolerant, and flexible – is needed to fight inequality, climate change, and more. We’re proud that the Impact Finance Research Consortium (Wharton Social Impact Initiative’s impact investing research collaboration with Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business)Read More

Penn Medicine and Wharton Social Impact Initiative Launch New $5 Million Investment Initiative for Businesses that Improve Health of Philadelphians

colorful storefronts in the Philadelphia community

“Fund for Health” announced first round of funding for companies that aim to strengthen social determinants of health             PHILADELPHIA, August 31, 2021—Three start-up companies will be the first to receive investment from the Fund for Health, a joint partnership between Penn Medicine and the Wharton Social Impact Initiative ofRead More

Virtual Event: “Impact Investing – Evolution, Trends, and Future” with Penn Wharton China Center

Wharton Social Impact Initiative is pleased to join the Penn Wharton China Center for their “Penn at Work – Making Your Future – 2021 and Beyond” virtual speaker series. Join Katherine Klein, Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, and Rajith Sebastian, Director, Special Projects, Impact Investing, on Wednesday,Read More

WIVA Helps Facilitate Impact Investment into Ed-Tech Startup mytaptrack

mytaptrack logo

After rigorous research, the student team at Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) is excited to help facilitate an impact investing deal for mytaptrack, an education technology startup, on the crowdfunding platform Netcapital. Over seven million students in the US have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) to suit their special needs.Read More

WIVA Facilitates Impact Investment into Melanence, an E-Learning Startup Focused on Communities of Color

melanence logo

A team of Penn students in Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) helped facilitate an impact investment into Melanence – an online professional ecosystem where communities of color are empowered to grow skills, build networks, and earn additional income. After conducting rigorous research on Melanence, the student team at Wharton ImpactRead More