The "Impact Investment Challenge: Contribute for Agenda 2030" educational innovation in the MSc Sustainable Finance programme
This challenge is part of the "Sustainable Investment Strategy" course, one of the key modules in learning about the challenges of sustainable finance, taught by Christophe Revelli. It puts students in the shoes of impact investors, with the objective of developing a profitable, viable investment project that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN.
In groups of 4, they have to create a tailored investment plan to finance a social impact project. All financial strategies and vehicles can be considered (debt, equity, structured funds, private equity funds, asset management, green bonds, sustainable bonds, microcredit, crowdlending...) and must be adapted to the project that aims to contribute to at least 3 SDGs over the duration of the investment and beyond.
This challenge allows students to mobilise all the knowledge acquired during their academic year and proposed by Kedge professors and practitioners who are experts in sustainable finance: macroeconomics, monetary policies, economics of emerging markets, financial geopolitics, pricing, financial modelling, strategy and financial analysis, political and monetary ecosystem of green finance, analysis of climate and ESG risks, modelling of climate risks, integration of the SDGs in investment strategies, private equity and impact investing... These are all key issues to learn about sustainable finance.
Innovative projects focused on implementation, feasibility and impact
The proposed impact investments projects will be assessed on their degree of innovation (Does the proposed solution allow for financing the SDGs in a sector where there is a lack of need? Is the financial vehicle innovative and adapted to the solution?)
The jury will also take into account the capacity of the project to identify the impacts to be measured during the investment period and to put in place relevant, transparent and demanding monitoring indicators.
Finally, the implementation and feasibility criteria will also be evaluated, as the students will present their project to impact investors who are experts in development and sustainable financial engineering. The most successful projects will be able to benefit from a network of impact investors potentially interested in their financing and development.
3 weeks of competition, one winning group
All 6 student groups participating in the challenge will have to identify the "sustainable finance gap", propose a project responding to the issues, create and detail the business model and business plan, identify potential partners, think about the structure of the investment vehicle and the way to measure the targeted environmental and social impacts.
To do so, they will benefit from mentoring sessions with Prof. Christophe Revelli, as well as group work sessions and exchanges with professionals allowing them to structure their project.
On 14 May 2021, each group will have to defend its project in front of a jury composed of 3 professors of economics and finance from Kedge BS (Isabelle Ducassy, Luis Reyes-Ortiz and Thomas Lagoarde-Segot), a CSR/SD expert from the CSR department of Kedge BS (Anja Stoll), an expert/consultant in green and sustainable bonds at ISS-ESG London and Almuni of Kedge BS (Mélanie Comble), and the ESG development director of CANDRIAM, partner of Kedge BS (David Czupryna). The results and announcement of the winning group will be made on Friday 21 May 2021 after the jury has deliberated and evaluated the projects.
A pedagogical innovation with an objective of openness and internationalisation for 2022 and 2023
The objective of the Impact Investment Challenge for 2021 is to test the contributions, validate the relevance of the project and its educational construction. For 2022, the ambition will be to duplicate this project at the level of all Kedge BS master's programmes, then to open it up to international universities and schools for 2023.
This project will be part of the " Pedagogy " axis of the CANDRIAM/KEDGE BS Chair " Finance Reconsidered: Addressing Sustainable Economic Development ", headed by Professor Christophe Revelli and will be the subject of a dedicated event and an official award ceremony in the presence of potential investors.
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