Anderson Venture Impact Partners
Required for all students in fund.
Runs in parallel to sourcing & pitching investments for fund
AVIP Student Information Session
To Be Announced Soon
Anderson Venture Impact Partners (AVIP) is a self-sustaining student-led investment fund that targets non-concessionary financial returns as well as positive social and/or environmental outcomes in the U.S. related to pertinent current issues faced at the time of investment. We achieve these targets by deploying capital into early-stage, for-profit companies whose impact is embedded into their business models.
Fund Overview
The fund provides deep experiential learning opportunities for UCLA Anderson students within private markets while continuing to build partnerships with venture capital, private equity and impact investing firms. Under the guidance and mentorship of faculty, alumni and industry practitioners, AVIP members drive the full investment lifecycle from deal sourcing and structuring to portfolio monitoring and impact measurement.
AVIP is led by second-year MBA students who serve as vice presidents with support from first-year students who serve as directors. AVIP is housed within the Center for Impact, UCLA Anderson’s social impact center, and is supported by faculty advisors, some of whom also serve on the fund’s investment committee.
The Anderson Venture Impact Partner fund launched in spring 2017 after securing $500,000 in seed capital from a founding donor who expressed commitment to and support of social impact.
If you would like to nominate your for-profit social enterprise to be considered for the impact investing program or would like to get involved as a speaker or mentor, please contact us at avip@anderson.ucla.edu and impact@anderson.ucla.edu.
Investment Strategy
AVIP seeks to invest in early-stage, for-profit, mission-oriented companies in the following four verticals:
Leveraging technology to increase access to affordable, high-quality education. Promotion of job training, credentialing and reskilling programs.
Providing access to high-quality care, enabling improved health outcomes and reduced cost burdens, particularly for underserved communities in the U.S.
Increasing access to food security, and promotion of businesses and agricultural practices that benefit the environment.
Supporting businesses that improve access to affordable financing, and enable equitable economic mobility.
2024-2025 AVIP Leadership Team
Co-President
Co-President
VP of Financial Inclusion
VP of Education & Workforce
VP of Clean Energy & Sustainability
VP of Healthcare
VP of Portfolio Monitoring
VP of Portfolio Marketing
VP of Alumni & LA Ecosystem
Faculty Advisors
Adjunct Professor of Finance
Professor of Strategy; Faculty Director, Center for Impact
Lecturer
Continuing Lecturer in Finance; Faculty Advisor, Strategic Management Research
Professor of Strategy
Faculty Research Director
Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Principal, Angeleno Group
Course Instructors
Lecturer in Finance; Faculty Advisor, Strategic Management Research
Principal, Angeleno Group
MGMT course 2
Fall 2022 / Winter 2023
Impact Investing is a two quarter (2 units per quarter) course covering the core principles of investing in businesses that generate both financial returns and tangible social impact, including environmental sustainability, education and empowerment, health and welfare, and economic equality, among others. The course is designed to equip the student to accomplish the following:
- Develop an Impact Investment Thesis to source and screen potential investments;
- Assess the investment and impact merits and risks of a potential investment;
- Analyze different business models and financial projections;
- Value and explore alternative securities and structures for venture investments;
- Synthesize due diligence findings and analysis in a recommendation presented through an Investment Committee Memorandum and discussion;
- Identify way to increase investment value and impact, including associated metrics to measure and monitor progress post-investment.
News
Anderson Venture Impact Partners pitched investments to a panel of industry judges on March 1, 2023
UCLA Anderson impact investing course receives Page Prize honorable mention
Get In Touch with us
Whether you are an early-stage investor, a startup seeking funding or a prospective student, we look forward to hearing from you!
Although AVIP expects to reinvest every dollar return generated from portfolio investments, as a relatively young philanthropic evergreen venture fund, we are seeking additional capital to ensure subsequent classes of Anderson students can continue to receive a practical, first-hand education in impact investing. Please contact Bhavna Sivanand, executive director, Center for Impact, for more information.
UCLA Anderson first-year full-time MBA, second- or third-year FEMBA, and second-year EMBA students interested in venture and/or impact investing are invited to learn more about the AVIP program, housed within the Center for Impact. An information session is held early in fall quarter, prior to the application due date and interviews. For participating students, AVIP includes courses Impact Investing I and II (2 units fall quarter, 2 units winter quarter), and prepares you to source, conduct due diligence, pitch and potentially invest in an early-stage, mission-driven startup aligned with one of our four investment verticals. Contact us to learn more about the selection process and the experience, or to ask questions.
As a student-led investment fund, Anderson Venture Impact Partners participates in funding rounds led by other established investors. We encourage individuals or business entities — angel investors, accelerators, incubators, venture capital firms or others — to contact us to learn more about AVIP’s funding requirements, how we have partnered with investors for past transactions and how we can provide value to the portfolio company as co-investors. If you have a transaction you are unable to fund but believe would be a good fit for AVIP, we welcome your outreach.
If you are a U.S-based, mission-driven startup with a connection to either financial inclusion, sustainability, health or education and workforce development, we would love to hear from you. AVIP typically funds $50,000 during Q2 or Q3 as part of a broader round for pre-seed, seed or Series A startups based in the U.S. We welcome you to submit our quick intake form, and we will be sure to reach out if AVIP may be a fit. If you have any questions regarding AVIP’s operations, investment criteria, your suitability or other concerns, please contact us to set up a call.
More Information