General Information
Promotional Video
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Instructor Bio
Rod Lohin is Executive Director of Rotman’s Lee-Chin Institute, an expert in corporate sustainability and impact investing. He is a researcher and teacher and founder of early fund platform OpenImpact.ca.
Target Audience
Students interested in sustainable finance, social and environmental issues; and how the capital markets can drive positive change in the world, notably in a developing economy like Costa Rica.
Course Dates and Format
Class Dates: November 13, 20, & 27 from 09:00am-11:00am (in-person at Rotman)
Travel Dates: January 12-18, 2025
Course Mission & Scope
Through a range of readings, lectures and meetings with social entrepreneurs and investors, students will learn about the state of impact investing in Canada and Costa Rica. The course’s highlight is a week-long visit to Costa Rica (to be conducted in partnership with business school INCAE in Costa Rica’s capital San Jose and other local organizations). Students will learn: what impact investing is, the scale of the two markets and how fast they are is growing, their differences in terms of prevalent institutions, regulations, priorities, available investment vehicles, typical early-stage companies and culture. Students will read industry and scholarly research materials on the concepts and practice of impact investing in both countries. They will meet, interview and synthesize information from social entrepreneurs and investors in both Canada and in Costa Rica., Students’ final presentations will compare the state of impact investing in the two countries.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Throughout | 20% |
| Student Assessment by Other Team Members | End of the Course | 10% |
| Interview and Key Findings | December | 20% |
| Organizing, Interviewing in Costa Rica | Mid-Janaury | 20% |
| Final Report | Mid-January | 30% |
Required Resources and Cost
A course pack (innovation travel guide) will be provided. The cost is $2,150 CAD which includes hotel, daily breakfast, transportation, welcome and farewell meals and select cultural immersions. Students are responsible for flights to Costa Rica and return to Toronto, and a visa/transit visa to Costa Rica. Rotman will provide a small $500 CAD cash bursary to each Rotman student.
Deadline to pay in full: October 2, 2024 at 1:30pm
Deadline to drop: October 2, 2024 at 1:30pm
Note: We understand the drop deadline takes place before the actual course starts, however, we need to finalize numbers for the class in order to plan the travel portion. In light of this, students may incur charges if they drop after this deadline.
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 Global and Experiential Course Eligibility Specifics and Limits section on the RO website for all details.