General Information
Promotional Video
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Instructor Bio
Rod Lohin is the Executive Director of the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship and a Sessional Lecturer at Rotman. He is an expert on corporate sustainability strategy and sustainable finance, publishing widely and consulting with companies like RBC, Ericsson and SunLife. He is a co-founder of OpenImpact.ca, a public inventory of impact investing products in Canada.
Target Audience
Students with an interest in early stage investing, private equity, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, social innovation and social and environmental issues in management.
Format
This is formally a Spring Term class, but to keep pace with the TMIINT program it is taught across both fall and spring terms in 6-8 x 2 hour classes, online readings, quizzes and deliverables, and group work.
Course Mission
You will learn about early-stage impact investing, including what impact investing is and how fast it is growing, how to develop an impact investing thesis, source early-stage impact investments, conduct due diligence, and prepare and deliver an investment memo and recommendation to an investment committee.
Course Scope
Through classes and online materials, you will learn about investing in early-stage companies with social or environmental impact through readings, industry resources and guest speakers. You will also learn how to be an investment analyst by participating in intensive, team-based group work to source, assess and pitch a real early-stage impact company to an investment committee. This course is taught in parallel with the Turner MBA Impact Investing Network and Training (TMIINT) program, a joint initiative of the Wharton and the Bridges Impact Foundation. Students who successfully complete all requirements of the course will also receive a certificate from TMIINT. One team from this course will be selected to represent Rotman at the global TMIINT Competition at Wharton in Philadelphia in March 2024.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Online Deliverables (Quizzes) | Ongoing | 20% |
| Participation | Ongoing | 20% |
| Students Assessment by Team Members | End of Term | 10% |
| Initial Investment Thesis, Sourcing Strategy, and Sourcing List | Early December 2023 | 15% |
| Business Potential and Due Diligence | Late February/Early March 2024 | 15% |
| Investment Committee Presentation Deck and Delivery | Early March 2024 | 20% |
Required Resources
Online materials will be available through the Wharton Canvas platform with additional readings and guest speakers organized by the instructor.
Experiential Course Limit
There are limits to the number of RSM27XX range courses that students may take for credit toward their degree. Please refer to the Experiential/International Course Eligibility Specifics and Limits section on the RO website for all details.