A teaching case at Harvard Business School

21.01.2019

Investing for impact: THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS' commitment to investing for impact was singled out as a case study for use in Harvard Business School's MBA degree programme in September 2018.
 

The case is entitled ‘THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS: Selecting Impact Funds’, and was written by Harvard professor Vikram Gandhi based on interviews with us.

The case describes THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS' journey in impact investing from the first considerations, through early experiences, to the present strategy in this area. In addition, the case discusses a number of strategic choices made along the way, including investment focus, expected returns and the role of THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS in the new impact investing ecosystem.

True to American form, the case contains a real-world dilemma for the students to examine. The scene is set in spring 2017, and those responsible for impact investing within THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS have to select, under pressure of time, a green venture capital investment from among six candidates. The case weighs up the advantages and drawbacks of the candidates, and the students then have to discuss which decision THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS actually made.

To make the teaching more true to life, THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS participated in a live webcast for the firsttime use of the case. Going forward, the plan is for the case to be used in teaching Harvard's MBA students at least once a year.

The case is available to purchase for USD 8 here: www.hbsp.harvard.edu