2014-2015 Events

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Columbia Business School
Uris Hall, Room 301
A circular economy is an economic and industrial model that is restorative by intent and design. Taking a new systemic perspective, it replaces the concept of waste with one of restoration and aims to decouple economic growth from the use of virgin resources. In this one-day workshop we challenged the existing economic paradigm and explored how the framework of a circular economy can be applied to businesses. This was done through case examples and discussion around key topics and the enabling conditions for developing circular economy initiatives. The workshop will comprise plenary sessions with presentations and panel discussions along with opportunities for Q&A throughout the day and will be followed by networking drinks.
Speakers include:

• Ron Gonen ’04, CEO of the Closed Loop Fund
• Andrew Morlet, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Jules Hayward, Education Programme Lead of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation</a></li> <li>John Gardner, CSO of the Novelis</li> <li><a hred=">Kathryn Garcia, NYC Commissioner of Waste
• Marty Neese, COO of Sunpower
• Rob Kaplan, Director of Product Sustainability of Walmart
• Jeff Fielkow, Executive Vice President, Growth and Development of ReCommunity
• Scott Saunders, CEO of KW Plastics
• Dr. Nabil Nsar, Rochester Institute of Technology
• John Trujillo, Director of Public Works of the City of Phoenix
• Kristine Kalaijian, Director, Environmental Compliance and Sustainability at Philips
• and many more

Sponsored by the Closed Loop Fund and Ellen MacArthur Foundation

6:30 p.m.
Flat Top Bistro
1275 Amsterdam Ave, NY NY
Join the Social Enterprise Club for a smaller, more intimate conversation with Jeffe Senne who is part of PwC's CSR team and the lead of the firm's Environment & Marketplace practice. Jeff spoke broadly about the CSR industry as well as PwC's approach and specific programs.

Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

7:00 p.m.
Lerner Hall, Columbia University
Moderated by Prof. John Walker, Columbia Business School
Do you want to build a business that can do more than making profits? Do you wish to work for a company that cares deeply about sustainability? B corp might be the answer! Come join B Lab and successful founders & staff of B Certified companies—such as, ETSY, CHANGE.ORG, PURPOSE, and DOLIUM—talk about their motivations for launching a company with social and environmental missions. From our distinguished panelists, not only you'll get an inside look at how these successful companies have gotten their businesses B Certified, but also hear more about the day-to-day activities and opportunities for students at these companies. 

Panelists include:


• Sophie Faris, Mission-Aligned Business Team Lead, B Lab
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• Katie Hunt-Morr, Senior Manager of Values and Impact, Etsy
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• Matthew Slutsky, Managing Director of Partnerships, Change.org
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• Christina Brower, Senior Director of Business Operations, Purpose
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• Laura Giadorou Koch, CEO, Dolium Underground Winery
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  Sponsored by Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE) at Columbia University, Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School, and the SIPA Net Impact Chapter

5:00-7:00 p.m.
On Site
Ever wanted to know what goes into running one of the nation's largest and oldest performing arts organizations?  This visit to BAM is your chance to find out! The club took a tour of BAM's facilities, had meetings with senior staff members, and stayed for a show in the evening.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

12:30-1:45 p.m.


Columbia Business School students helped local NYC residents as they transition off of welfare master the basics of financial literacy. Students volunteered to help participants in Back on my Feet New York around the topics of the “Five Financial Fundamentals” and “Credit Explained.”
Sponsored by the Financial Education Society at Columbia Business School

7:00-8:15 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 301
Matt Flannery is a seasoned social entrepreneur, who co-founded KIVA and served as its CEO for 10 years. KIVA is one of the top social enterprises in the world, providing over $700 million in micro-loans to millions at the base of the pyramid in 86 countries since it was founded in 2005. Matt is now working on two new fin tech startups called branch.co and puddle.com.
Sponsored by the School of International Public Affairs

6:00-8:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Feldberg Space
Speaker Biographies
Mark Harrison, Chief Business Development Officer, Bandwagon
Mark Harrison is the Chief Business Development Officer at Bandwagon. Mark is proud to be revolutionizing the way the world moves through ride sharing.
In his previous role as Director of Marketing at VerbalizeIt, a TechStars startup, he helped gain significant international media exposure. In less than a year, Mark helped move VerbalizeIt from “a tech startup benefiting from ABC’s Shark Tank” (New York Times, June 2013) to an “established service” in the translation industry (New York Times, March 2014). Prior to VerbalizeIt, Mark held marketing and campaigning roles with LRN, GreenOrder, Climate Counts and Obama for America.
Mark is a graduate of Dickinson College where he majored in English and played basketball. He hails from New Hampshire, lives in Brooklyn, and spends as much time as he can in the great outdoors.
Corie Hardee, Founder and CEO, Little Borrowed Dress
Corie is founder and CEO of Little Borrowed Dress. Little Borrowed Dress is the first online dress rental company to focus exclusively on bridal - offering classically chic bridesmaids dresses for rent at a quarter of the cost. Little Borrowed Dress recently raised $1.25M in seed funding from Index Ventures and Joanne Wilson, Andreessen Horowitz, Launch Capital, Neu Venture Capital, NYC Seed and other individual angels.
Prior to launching Little Borrowed Dress in 2010, Corie was a Senior Strategy Consultant with Deloitte Consulting in London, independent consultant for Zain (a mobile operator in Ghana), and Summer Associate with GE Commercial Finance. Corie graduated with a BS in Accounting & Finance from the University of Arizona. She earned her MBA from London Business School, where she participated in the exchange program with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 
Matt Shampine, VP of Business Development, WeWork
Matt is currently VP of Business Development and Marketing at WeWork. He also helped to start WeWork Labs and WeWork Magazine at WeWork.
He previously ran Business Development and Marketing at Hometalk where he established partnerships with companies such as Lowe’s, DBG, Apartment Therapy, and Scripps. Prior to Hometalk, Matt was one of the co-founders of the funded New York startup Onepager. Before Onepager, he co-founded the interactive agency Simande where his responsibilities included business development, client relations, and project management. Clients included: NY Tech Meetup, RRE Ventures, Vogue, Columbia University, and CNNmoney. Additionally, Matt was one of the co-founders of We Are NY Tech and interviewed/profiled over 300+ entrepreneurs in NYC.
Matt graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from The College of New Jersey in 2005 and attended graduate school at Drexel University. He is an advisor to a number of startups including: ToutApp, Consumr, Lover.ly, Caseflex and Handshake. He was also an advisor for Coffee Meets Bagel and Dealburner (acquired). Before Matt jumped into the startup world, he was a senior web developer at Mercedes-Benz USA. He has also held a number of elected positions and ran for Township Council in Palmyra, NJ in 2007.
Justin Holmes, Director of Corporate Communications, Zipcar
Justin Holmes joined Zipcar as Director of Corporate Communications, a newly created role. Holmes is overseeing the development and implementation of Zipcar’s corporate communications strategy, and is responsible for all external communications.
Holmes most recently served as interim Chief Information Officer for the City of Boston, where he oversaw the department of innovation and technology. Prior to that, Holmes served as Director of Constituent Engagement for the city of Boston, Director of Government Relations for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, and Chief of Policy and Communications for Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney. Earlier in his career, Holmes was Director of Communications for Boston College High School and Communications Officer for Franciscans International.
Sponsored by the Green Business Club and the Technology Business Group at Columbia Business School

6:00- 9:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 301
For pricing and to register, click here:
Panel: What’s for dinner in 2040?
In the face of rising demand and environmental constraints, how will food supply chains and consumer tastes need to change? What are innovative companies doing to lead that change and capture new opportunities?
Panelists include representatives from Chipotle, Whole Foods, Six Foods, Local Food Lab, and more.
Keynote speech by Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown '08
Sponsored by the Green Business Club and the Gourmet Club at Columbia Business School

The Social Enterprise Club participated in an exciting day of visits to organizations on the forefront of education reform right in our own backyard! Stops include Uncommon Schools' Bedstuy Collegiate Charter School, the Park Slope Education Campus at MS 88 to see cutting edge technology developed by Discovery Education in action, and Relay Graduate School of Education. We will have the opportunity to observe innovative work being accomplished and also chat with education reform leaders at each stop. We'll end the day with an informal debrief and a round of drinks on the SEC in Lower Manhattan.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

6:00-9:30 p.m.
Low Library, Columbia University
BizCorps, a selective global program founded by Rob Mosbacher, Jr., the former CEO of OPIC, is currently recruiting its next cohort of top MBA graduates. Applicants selected to join the program are matched with high-potential, growth-oriented businesses in an emerging market for placements lasting up to one year. BizCorps Associates work directly with the senior leadership of these companies, providing critical strategic and operational support as they pursue ambitious growth targets. Currently accepting applications on a rolling basis through April 26. To learn more and to apply, visitthebizcorps.org/our-associates/apply-now.
Sponsored by the Career Management Center (CMC) at Columbia Business School

12:30- 2:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 310


Launching a social enterprise is typically a pathway filled with turns, surprises and-- almost invariably--setbacks. Paul M. Sacks, Managing Director of MNS International, runs a firm that has successfully guided a variety of social enterprises in sourcing capital, devising business strategies, and addressing challenges and obstacles they face along this road.
One of the most daunting of these challenges is obtaining financing from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), public sector bi-lateral and multi-lateral financial institutions established to support development projects in emerging markets. Financing from DFIs often represents the majority of the capital structure of a social venture in emerging markets.  Accessing DFI capital can be challenging to the social entrepreneur, who may not understand the nuances of navigating the DFI application process.
Dr. Sacks illustrated his talk with case studies from his own experience. These include:

• A company established by an American MBA to provide value-chain services to small farmers in West Africa (such as access to farm machinery and cold storage) and which ran into problems when its customers were unable to pay for its services.
• A Haitian company, set up following the 2010 earthquake to convert rubble into concrete for new construction, which had no demonstrable collateral, equity, or credit support.
• Two companies--a Miami-based developer unable to secure financing for a real estate project in Costa Rica, and a West African broadband provider—each of whom had to re-articulate their narratives to access DFI financing.
• The talk concluded with a discussion of lessons learned, particularly as regards securing access to DFI financing.
  Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

12:30 -2:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 417
Join the Social Enterprise Club for a discussion with Lars Jahns, Robin Hood's Senior Vice President. Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization and has focused on finding, funding and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Columbia University
This year will mark the twelfth anniversary of the All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair. This is the premier event for recruiters and top talent to connect and discuss career opportunities associated with sustainability. Each year, the eight Ivy League schools come together to produce a unique and inspiring career fair that provides companies unparalleled access to undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D level students who have the skills and knowledge to address the complex sustainability challenges of our global economy.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

12:30 -2:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 306
Catchafire, a B-Corp, matches professionals who want to volunteer their skills with nonprofits and social enterprises that need their help. Whether you are starting your own social enterprise and looking for support, or are interested in volunteering with an organization that matches your interests and could benefit from your skills, come hear from Hayley Samuelson, Catchafire's Storytelling Officer.
Speaker Biography
Hayley Samuelson got her start in the story biz writing and producing for an online magazine in Boulder, Colorado that covered anything from the life of a Belgian rockstar to elementary schools serving pink slime. She considers herself lucky because at Catchafire, it is her job to help tell stories about generosity, changemakers and do-gooders. She has the best time when she's a few feet clear of her comfort zone and she won't deny a fondness for everything that is Lady Gaga.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

The International Development Club hosted its annual Career Trek to Washington D.C. to explore career options in the international development sector. They visited the World Bank Group, held a series of sector-specific panels with leading organizations in their fields, and networked with alumni currently working in the DC area. Panels will included representatives from:

• World Bank
• IADB
• OPIC
• Accion
• FINCA International
• USAID
• Cardno
• Pyxera Global
• Ashoka
• Dalberg
• Frontier Strategy
• McKinsey
• Endsight

Sponsored by the International Development Club.

12:30 -2:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 209
Please join Microlumbia and the Social Enterprise Club for a lunch & learn, hosted by Vikas Raj '10, Director of Investing at Accion Venture Lab. Vikas will introduce students to Accion Venture Lab, a seed stage fund investing in social enterprises in the financial services innovation space. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. Accion Venture Lab is currently hiring 2015 summer interns.
Speaker Biography
Vikas Raj is a 2010 MBA graduate from Columbia Business School, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. After Penn, Vikas spent two years as a business analyst in the corporate strategy group at Deloitte Consulting. As a recipient of the Clinton Fellowship for Service in India, he left Deloitte in the Summer of 2006 to begin work at Ujjivan, a Bangalore-based, urban-focused Microfinance institution. While at Ujjivan, Vikas helped lead the company's Series B Equity raise, and set up the company's first branches in Delhi. After completing the fellowship, Vikas joined the Netherlands-based Catalyst Microfinance Investors, a global Microfinance institution and fund. Vikas was responsible for starting CMI's proprietary Indian Microfinance Institution, which now has over 100,000 customers. After graduating from Columbia Business School, Vikas joined Evercore Partners in New York as an M&A Associate. He then left Evercore to join Accion Venture Lab as Director of Investing. Vikas was the co-president of Microlumbia in 2009-2010 and now serves on its Board of Directors.

Sponsored by Microlumbia and the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Columbia University
The Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship Program provides support to Columbia University students engaged in summer internships that create social and environmental value. For MBA students, fellowships take place in the U.S. or abroad at nonprofit, government or nongovernmental organizations, for-profit and nonprofit social ventures, and social venture capital firms. MBA students seeking to transition between sectors, industries, and functional areas use the summer to apply their business skills and explore social enterprise areas. Fellows help organizations across a range of projects and issues, including strategic planning, start-up business plan development, marketing and product strategies, financial analysis, operational improvements, and performance evaluation. For Columbia University graduate and undergraduate students, Social Enterprise Summer Fellows work at social ventures.
Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship Week is an opportunity for the Columbia Business School community to support the work of their MBA peers participating in the Fellowship program.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club and the International Development Club.

First round applications due February 18
11:59 p.m.
The Columbia Venture Competition was first launched in April 2009, and has paid out more than $100,000 in prize money to early-stage ventures all founded by young Columbia entrepreneurs. Over the years the competition has grown in the number of submissions and in competition quality.
Sponsored by The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.

8:30-11:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 301
Join Columbia Business School house band Juranimal along with the musically and comedically talented MBA students for an open mic night. All proceeds from ticket sales go to the Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship program.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club, International Development Club and Jurnanimal.

6:30 p.m.
Amsterdam Restaurant and Tapas (119th and Amsterdam)
Welcome the new Social Enterprise J-Termers to Columbia Business School by joining the Social Enterprise Club for a mixer.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club.

12:30 -2:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Eoom 140
Join the Social Enterprise Club for a discussion with Lars Jahns, Robin Hood's Senior Vice President. Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization and has focused on finding, funding and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

6:30-8:30 p.m.
One East 60th Street, New York NY 10022
In honor of the newly named Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, please join us for our Annual Reception. Remarks will begin at 7 p.m. by:

• Ray Horton, Founder of the Social Enterprise Program and Frank R. Lautenberg Professor of Ethics and Corporate Governance
• Bruce Usher, Elizabeth B. Strickler '86 and Mark T. Gallogly '86 Faculty Director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise
• Sandra and Anthony Tamer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of H.I.G. Capital, LLC
• Kesha Cash '10, Founder and Director of Investments, Impact America Fund
  
  Business Formal: jacket and tie required
  Sponsored by the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School
   

12:30-2:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 307
Jill Lafer will speak about her experiences, what led her to get involved with Planned Parenthood and answer questions from attendees.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School

17:30-8:30 p.m.
Columbia University Faculty House, Garden Room #2
Join Audrey Choi, CEO of Morgan Stanley's Institute for Sustainable Investing, to learn more about this year's Fellowship opportunity for first and second year MBA students. This will be a great opportunity to meet members of the Morgan Stanley team and learn more about the Institute for Sustainable Investing.
Sponsored by the Career Management Center at Columbia Business School

6:30-8:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 416
Mark Schapiro’s book takes us on a journey to the financial frontlines of climate change, where the same chaotic forces reshaping our weather are shifting the economic ground beneath our feet. From the agricultural fields of California to the Amazon rainforest, from the oil-splattered beaches of Spain to the export powerhouses of China to the bizarre world of carbon traders, Schapiro’s tales reveal the true costs of fossil fuels--and how the struggle to integrate those costs into the global economy is altering the financial and geo-political status quo, and rewriting the rules of economic risk.
Sponsored by the Green Business Club at Columbia Business School and the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs’ Environmental Coalition (ECO).

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.


Learn about career opportunities in social enterprise by joining the career group. The group will feature three 1-hour discussion groups facilitated by a Social Enterprise Career Fellow, which will happen bi-weekly over the course of the spring semester.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club and the Career Management Center at Columbia Business School

5:45- 7:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 331
This event is an introduction to the social enterprise community at Columbia Business School, which includes the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, Social Enterprise Club, International Development Club, and the Green Business Club.
Sponsored by the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, Social Enterprise Club, International Development Club, and the Green Business Club.

5:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 141

Deloitte hosted the second event in the 2014 Strategy Round Table Series featuring some of national and global strategy thought leaders. The sessions are designed to be interactive, focusing on discussion and questions posed by students. Students will have the opportunity to network with the speakers over light fare after the discussions.
This event will feature a discussion on global trends and challenges in the social sector, led by Kurt Dassel, Director in Monitor Deloitte’s Social Impact Service Line. This service line is a winner of Consulting Magazine’s 2014 Excellence in Social & Community Investments Award for their work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is one of the fastest growing pro bono and community engagement consulting groups worldwide. This round table will also center on themes from Solution Revolution, named by Business Digest as “one of the 10 most notable books of 2013”, and written by Deloitte's William D. Eggers and Paul Macmillan.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

7:30 p.m.

Escape the confines of the cubicle this summer and hit the open road with three of your classmates on a once-in-a-lifetime journey of impact across the US to work alongside, learn from, and support entrepreneurs who are building businesses that make their communities better.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

6:30-8:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 209


e-NABLE fulfills recipients’ need for affordable and easy to access devices. It is a diverse network of volunteers who use 3D printing to provide upper-limb prosthetics to differently-abled children and adults around the world. e-NABLE has relationships with prosthetists and other health care providers as well as academic and research institutions, including Rochester Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins and Creighton universities. In addition, international initiatives with NGOs and other groups are underway to provide greater delivery of prosthetics to underserved populations in developing countries as well as in areas experiencing conflict and the effects of natural disaster.
Areas of discussion:

• What revenue strategies should e-NABLE follow to become financially self-sustaining?
• How best can the organization move away from individually funded/donated resources?
• What types of operational processes does e-NABLE need to consider as it moves from a digital community to a physical community?
• Will aspects of their value-proposition suffer – if so, which ones and why?
• How can e-NABLE better measure and market its impact?



























 
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Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

7:30-8:30 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 209

Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing hosted an information session for 1st Year Columbia Business School students on November 17th. This will be a great opportunity to meet members of the Morgan Stanley team and learn more about the Sustainable Investing Fellowship. At Morgan Stanley, solving complex challenges and fueling economic growth across continents is what we do. We offer you a structured path to success, providing you with the training, mobility and responsibility to make a real difference. To find out more about Morgan Stanley, please visit,
Sponsored by the Career Management Center and the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

12:15 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 331

The Microlumbia Impact Fund at Columbia Business School, and the Columbia Impact Investing Initiative (CI3) at the School of International and Public Affairs hosted an afternoon “bootcamp” designed to educate the Columbia community on current trends and best practices in impact investing. Over the course of an afternoon, students will gain exposure to real-world cases, applications and perspectives on impact investing from professionals and professors in this field, as well as from student leaders of CI3 and Microlumbia. Guests include Jody Rasch, Senior Vice President from Moody’s Analytics and Microlumbia distinguished board members.
Sessions include:

Microfinance Social Performance Assessment // Jody Rasch, Senior Vice President, Moody’s Corporation Social Performance Group
Jody Rasch heads the Social Performance Group at Moody’s Corporation working on projects including microfinance and social investing. He serves as Chair of the Moody’s Analytics Social Performance Assessment Committee, and has developed and conducted social performance management trainings in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  He has developed the Moody’s Social Performance Assessment (SPA) which provides a gap analysis of practices for microfinance institutions.  He also serves on various  advisory boards including Women’s World Banking’s Gender Performance Initiative, the SMART Campaign’s Certification Task Force, Grameen Foundation’s Social Performance Advisory Committee and the Global Impact Investing Rating Service (GIIRS). Mr. Rasch has presented on social and financial issues at conferences worldwide, including Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the United States. Prior to this Mr. Rasch worked at Moody’s Risk Management Services as part of the training group heading up product training for derivatives and corporate finance and as project manager for RiskCalc a corporate risk modeling product. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2002 Mr. Rasch owned, for 15 years, a training company that conducted financial training programs for international commercial and investment banks. He also headed the New York derivatives sales desk of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and has worked in the corporate treasury departments of two Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Rasch has a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and holds an MBA in Finance from New York University.
Post Investment Monitoring + The Acumen Fellow Experience - Justus Kilian, Post Investment Manager, Acumen
Justus is the Post Investment Manager at Acumen where his current role is focused on delivering leadership and technical support to Acumen's investees.  He was an Acumen Global Fellow in 2014 where he worked with Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC), a company that provides market access to smallholder farmers in northern Uganda. Justus has helped build and scale businesses in the US, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India and Uganda.  He has worked as a Senior Financial Analyst at Merrill Lynch, and as a Global Securities Technician at the Northern Trust Company. He holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is also a CFA Charterholder. 
Impact Investing History and Trends: Where do we go from here? - Prof. Bruce Usher, Faculty Director, Social Enterprise Program, Columbia Business School
Bruce Usher is The Elizabeth B. Strickler '86 and Mark T. Gallogly '86 Faculty Director of the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School in New York City, where he teaches MBA students on the intersection of finance, social and environmental issues. Professor Usher is a recipient of the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. From 2002 to 2009, Usher was CEO of EcoSecurities Group plc, during which time he built it into the world's largest carbon credit company. Usher led EcoSecurities through an IPO, a secondary public placement and strategic investment, and the sale of the entire company to JP Morgan in December 2009. EcoSecurities developed more than 400 projects in 36 countries, representing approximately 10% of all projects approved by the United Nations under the Kyoto Protocol. Prior to EcoSecurities, Usher was co-founder and CEO of TreasuryConnect LLC, which provided electronic trading solutions to banks and was acquired in 2001. Prior to that, he worked in financial services for twelve years in New York and Tokyo. Usher is an active investor in entrepreneurial ventures, having invested in 21 companies, including seven clean energy businesses. He is on the Board of Community Energy, a US solar project development company, and the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships. He earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Challenges in Impact Investing: Where and what are the investible deals? - Prof. John Walker, Director of Finance & Business Development, A-List Education
John Walker is currently Director of Finance and Business Development at A-List Education, a venture that provides a suite of unique college education products and services. Mr. Walker leads all finance activities and, through his business development expertise, enables the growth of new products that target the nationwide education market.
Mr. Walker was previously Consulting Director of Finance at Echoing Green, where in addition to managing the organization's financial systems he also led all impact investing activities, developing the Recoverable Grant investment concept and leading the structuring of the partnership with The Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund, a venture investment fund focused on financing capital for expansion.
Mr. Walker speaks regularly on social enterprise and impact investing at a wide range of industry events, including the annual Social Capital (SOCAP) conference. Mr. Walker lectures on impact investing at Columbia Business School and at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He advises a number of start-up social businesses, focusing on early-stage business and investment strategy.
Prior to Echoing Green, Mr. Walker was a principal with Chart Venture Partners and Chart Group in New York City actively contributing to venture and LBO deals worth over $200million in aggregate, covering semiconductor, imaging, and materials technologies and the industrial manufacturing sector. As principal, he performed deal sourcing, evaluation and structuring of early-stage equity investments in addition to portfolio company support in financial management. Before moving to New York City from Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr. Walker was Marketing and Technical Director at Pentland Systems, a venture-backed technology enterprise developing signal acquisition systems. Pentland Systems was successfully sold to an industry partner in 2007. He was also a member of the Defense Science Advisory Council at the UK Ministry of Defence; and previously a senior engineer with BAE Systems, where he was a technical and program lead on international partner programs across Europe.
Investing with a Dual Purpose: Pursuing both market and social returns - Chris Reim, Managing Director, Community Development Venture Capital Alliance
 Chris Reim focuses on job creation, economic opportunity and social impact through his role as Managing Director at the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance. As a venture capitalist, he addresses structural issues for the formation of private investment funds that have a mission of directing growth equity into under-served communities. Chris will speak about CDVCA's funds in New York and Puerto Rico, and the challenges of pursuing both market and social returns.
Case Study: Student-led due diligence and impact investing - Manuel Ferreira Gomes, Vice President of Investing & Fundraising, Microlumbia Impact Fund; MBA ’15, Columbia Business School
Manuel worked in management consulting at BCG and later in private equity at ECS Capital in Portugal. Before coming to Columbia Business School, he volunteered for five months at Fundación Mujer, a microfinance institution in Costa Rica. After business school, he plans to continue working in private equity. Manuel joined Microlumbia in 2013 as AVP of Investing, working in close partnership with Envest Microfinance Fund and helped lead Microlumbia’s successful debt investments in Pana Pana of Nicaragua and Humo of Tajikistan, two microfinance institutions. Manuel is from Lisbon, Portugal and received his B.S. in Finance and Business Administration from NOVA University in Lisbon.
Sponsored by the Microlumbia Impact Fund at Columbia Business School and the Columbia Impact Investing Initiative (CI3) at the School of International and Public Affairs.

7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 331

Inspiring Capital is revolutionizing the social sector by creating a movement of business leaders who use their skills to create social change. During their 10 week Fellowship programme, MBAs have one week of orientation, followed by 8 weeks of social enterprise/ nonprofit client work and weekly training days.
Sponsored by the International Development and Social Enterprise Clubs at Columbia Business School.

Minneapolis, MN

Net Impact hosts the largest MBA-level career expo, provides networking opportunities in over 50 sessions across a wide range of topics, and attracts over 2,800 attendees. This year’s conference, Breaking Boundaries, was held in Minneapolis, MN. Learn more about Net Impact online:
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club and the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Solera Restaurant
900 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN

Members of the Social Enterprise, Green Business and International Development Clubs who attend the Net Impact Career Trek met with members of the Minneapolis chapter of the Columbia Business School and Columbia University Alumni Clubs:00 for a networking dinner.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 305

Join the Social Enterprise Club for an informal lunch with Professor Amy Houston, Managing Director of Management Assistance at Robin Hood.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

8:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 415

The Social Enterprise Club is excited to bring The Resolution Project to campus so that first and second year students and alumni can learn more about how they tackle their mission of developing and empowering socially responsible young leaders to make a positive impact today! Come find out how they use global partnerships, social venture challenges, and Resolution Fellowships to achieve global impact and what opportunities there may be to work alongside them!
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School.

8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
New York Marriott Marquis
1535 Broadway (between 45th & 46th street)
New York, NY 10036

This annual conference attracts over 700 professionals, alumni and students, and this year features keynote speakers: Al Gore, Former Vice President, and Alicia Glen, NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. Interactive sessions and Spark Workshops will cover topics including: ESG and impact investing, sustainability strategies, innovative social venture revenue models, wearable tech, natural resources and energy, sustainable food systems and more.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise, Green Business, and International Development Clubs and the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 303

At this informal roundtable, students discussed recruiting best practices in the Social Enterprise space with CBS alumni.
Sponsored by the Career Management Center (CMC) and the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Amsterdam Cafe
1207 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10027

Professor Breza researches household and SME finance with a focus on developing countries. Some of her field projects include work on microfinance and social networks in India, direct deposits and mobile money in Bangladesh, and credit score rehabilitation among defaulters in Colombia. She is currently helping BRAC Bank launch the first consumer credit product for garment workers in Bangladesh. Professor Breza received a PhD in Economics from MIT and a BA from Yale.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

The Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) invited members of the Social Enterprise Club to join them on a site visit of both Etsy and Warby Parker. The event was limited to 25 participants.
Sponsored by the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) at Columbia Business School.

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Social Enterprise Club is hosting a site visit at Greyston Bakery. A storied social enterprise, Greyston has been baking gourmet brownies, cookies, and good will just north of NYC since 1982. The $10 million for-profit bakery is most famous for its long-standing relationship as Ben & Jerry's brownie supplier and for having an open-hiring policy that provides employment opportunities regardless of work history.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Max Caffe, Amsterdam Ave.

CCS is one of the most comprehensive and widely recommended fundraising consulting and management firms in the world. Established in 1947, we serve as a trusted partner to the world’s leading non-profits. Our projects span the recognized philanthropic sectors and include: campaign planning, management, and direction; feasibility and planning studies; development audits, assessments, and benchmarking; strategic development planning; development management; customized learning programs; board development, orientation, and training; and planned giving.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

12:30p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Faculty House, Columbia University
Practice Makes Perfect addresses inequities in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods over the summer. Research has found that two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap between lower and higher income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

7:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
80 Broad St., 30th Floor, New York City

ideas42 is a unique social enterprise bringing together highly creative practitioners, industry leaders, and policy experts with world-renowned economists and psychologists from top-tier universities. Our mission is to apply our expertise in behavioral economics to invent fresh solutions to the world’s toughest social problems with the goal of improving tens of millions of lives. ideas42 is a rapidly growing organization with a team of 40 people working on more than 30 projects in the U.S. and abroad. We apply our expertise to a range of domains, including consumer finance, poverty alleviation and economic opportunity, health, higher education, and environmental conservation. Our work begins with re-conceptualizing problems, designing new solutions and testing them in the field, then finally scaling them up to reach millions of people. We partner with large companies to create products that will do social good. We collaborate with other cutting-edge non-profits to incubate game-changing ideas. We work with governments to reimagine policy and revamp programs to make them more effective. We also teach practitioners how to use behavioral economics for innovation. Check out

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Uris Hall, Room 329
Wellspring Consulting, a non-profit consulting firm visited campus. Amy Anenberg ’13 is a recent CBS alum and their Social Enterprise lead. Wellspring Consulting works with the leadership of social sector organizations to set strategic direction, build organizational capacity, and address some of society’s most pressing issues. We serve a wide array of clients ranging from the largest national and international nonprofits to cutting-edge social enterprises to community-based organizations. We work across multiple fields, including education, environment, arts and culture, health, human rights and philanthropy. Presenters will discuss the work and culture of Wellspring Consulting, the consultant role, and an example of a client engagement. Wellspring aspires to have each member of our staff grow to become a leader in the pursuit of social change, whether as a Partner at Wellspring, or elsewhere in the social sector.

Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Warren Hall, Room 415
SITAWI – Finance for Good is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable more capital, more types of capital and a better use of capital to transform more lives. They develop and operate innovative financial solutions that create social and environmental impact, including concessional loans and management of philanthropic assets for major donors. They also advise investors on incorporating social and environmental issues into business strategy and investment decision-making.
Sponsored by the International Development Club at Columbia Business School and SIPA.

This session gives an overview of the MBA admissions process, as well as information about the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School. It also features a discussion with current Columbia Business School students - Seema Balani '15 and Shelia Zeidman '15 - and recent alum, Matt Robins '13, about what types of career opportunities are available to people interested in the social enterprise space. To watch the session, please visit: here.
Sponsored by the Admissions Office and Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Held along side the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), this event is an opportunity to learn about JP Morgan’s investing capital in impact investment funds with the dual objective of achieving both positive impact and financial return and building a dataset for the impact investment market and publishing analytical research for investors. J.P. Morgan Social Finance was launched in 2007 to serve the growing market for impact investments, meaning those investments intended to generate positive impact alongside financial return. There is growing recognition that innovative business models can complement limited public sector and philanthropic resources by delivering market-based solutions to social and environmental challenges in a sustainable and scalable way. The business is dedicated to serving and growing this nascent market.
Sponsored by the International Development Club at Columbia Business School and SIPA.

8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

SEP staff, faculty and first and second year students visited the Catskills home of Professor Ray Horton, founder of the Social Enterprise Program, for a day of eating, drinking and general merriment.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Great Hill
Central Park
New York, NY 10027


Join members of the Social Enterprise Club for a summer picnic in Central Park. Come learn about what the club does as well as the social enterprise landscape at Columbia Business School.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School.

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania 6
132 W 31st Street
(between 6th and 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10001
3022 Broadway New York, NY 10027


The Social Enterprise Program would like to cordially invite you to celebrate the 2014 Social Enterprise Summer Fellows Happy Hour. If you are interning in New York this summer, please join SEP along with past social enterprise summer fellows and alumni working in and interested in Social Enterprise. Please feel free to invite your current employer to attend with you as an opportunity for meeting your peers and learning more about the program.
This year’s Summer Fellows are interning within education, healthcare, arts, conservation, impact investing, SME development, and minority-owned ventures. The types of organizations that the students are working at varies and includes: Education Pioneers, Ashoka, the Robin Hood Foundation, DC-Cam, Enterprise Solutions to Poverty, the Natural Resources Defense Council, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Endeavor Global, SalaUno and more.
Please visit our Summer Fellows website to read about past summer experiences.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.