Impact investments are investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside financial return.
In 2011 CASE launched the CASE i3 Initiative on Impact Investing to establish a rich set of resources and activities for MBA students, entrepreneurs, investors, funders, academics, and policymakers to explore and support the field of impact investing.
Over a decade later, we have graduated dozens of MBAs with deep, real-world experience with impact investing, many of whom are working today in leading firms and field building institutions. And we have published highly respected research, guidance, case studies, and thought leadership on impact investing with some of the top global partners and funders in the field.
Join CASE i3 to learn alongside us and continue to strengthen the growing movement for investing to achieve social and financial impact return.
For Students
CASE i3 is Duke University’s intellectual hub for impact investing, recognized as one of the world’s leading MBA programs in impact investing by the World Economic Forum and Bridgespan. CASE i3 prepares students to be tri-sector leaders with the skills, experience, and connections to enter the impact investing field and contribute to growing this movement. When you come to Fuqua to study impact investing, you may engage with the many opportunities below.
“You end up emerging from Duke being able to say, ‘I’ve done this stuff.’ And this is an extraordinarily competitive job marketplace right now.” Scott Kleiman, MBA ’13, Policy Director, Economy and Workforce, Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation & the Future
Focused curricular offerings: Fuqua’s social enterprise and impact investing curriculum addresses many facets of impact investing and allows students to develop a robust understanding of the industry from faculty and guest speakers from leading firms.
“Without Fuqua, I never could have been involved in such wonderful projects with such wonderful people. Recently, I took a step forward towards my future goal. I joined the Green Impact Finance Team, a division of the Japanese government, where I am in charge of creating an impact investing ecosystem in Japan.” Saya Mizuno, MBA ’21, from How Fuqua Opened the Door to Impact Investing and Shaped My Future Goal
Real-world Experience: Our experiential learning programs allow you to say “I’ve done that,” whether through working as a consultant on a project for an impact investing firm through the CASE i3 Consulting Program, or managing a public equity portfolio with an impact and ESG strategy through the Fuqua Sustainable Impact Student Investment Fund.
“One of my favorite learnings from these workshops was how the words “impact investing” can mean several things in terms of desired returns/risk/impact, and that the actors who pursue impact investing can be very different.” Rony Cepeda, MBA ’22, from Getting Smart Fast on Impact Investing
Student Leadership: The CASE i3 Fellowship sets our graduating students apart for their deep commitment and real-world experience with impact investing the nurture while at Fuqua.
Contributing to world-class thought leadership and research: Fuqua’s faculty and staff are recognized globally for performing field-leading research and writing surrounding impact investing. Find some of our most recent contributions on the Impact Investing Insights page.
Access to a growing alumni network: Our students can tap into the diverse experiences of our impact investing alumni network, and receive support in their job search from dedicated staff in Fuqua’s Career Management Center.
“I came to business school to learn how to make the business case for taking action on climate change, and my time as a CASE i3 Fellow offered a remarkable opportunity to apply what I’d learned to the real world.” Rebecca Von Dem Hagen, MBA ’21, from Helping an Asset Manager Tackle Climate Change as a CASE i3 Fellow.
For Practitioners
CASE i3 actively partners with and supports practitioners in the field of impact investing. We help impact investors improve their ability to manage and achieve impact alongside financial return. We have been engaged by some of the most significant global impact investing organizations for our rigor, unbiased perspective, and ability to distill and communicate key factors for success.
Knowledge & Insights: CASE has published highly respected research, guidance, case studies, and thought leadership that has served as the foundation upon which the field of impact investing has grown so quickly. Access our Impact Investing Insights page to browse or search for articles, guides, resources, and thought leadership to understand the field better and improve your practice.
Training, Tools, & Resources: Join one of our upcoming training opportunities or reach out for custom training to advance your team’s skills in investing for impact. Want to develop your skills at your own pace? We have transformed our rigorous research and best practices in impact investing into practical, online tools you can access immediately.
Engage with Students: Impact firms can access new perspectives and additional bandwidth for their work by engaging top MBA talent from our CASE i3 student program.
Work with a CASE i3 Consulting Team
The CASE i3 Consulting Program offers impact investing organizations the opportunity to work with a team of carefully selected MBA students on an impact investing, ESG, or sustainable finance question they are currently addressing – benefiting from our students’ fresh perspective and technical expertise. Sign up to be notified of the next client application cycle.
Funding Opportunities: CASE has distilled decades of experience supporting ventures that are raising the impact investing capital they need into our online toolkit CASE Smart Impact Capital. If you are considering raising outside capital for your venture, access the toolkit now.
“This is the most user-friendly investment preparation tool I have used. So many accelerators make this part too complicated, and I give up. Yours is the best, really!” Katrina Clett, Founder of Elevated Honey Co. and Echoing Green Global Fellow, commenting on CASE Smart Impact Capital
Become a Sponsor or Partner: Corporate, government, and philanthropic partners are critical collaborators on CASE’s work generating research and education programs in support of the impact investing field. Join our partners in supporting this work.