2009 Headlines
Cornell Students Launch SustaInvest: a Sustainable Portfolio Pitch Competition
Entrants must develop and defend mock portfolios worth $100,000 by March 25
March 12, 2009 | Ithaca, NY | Students at Cornell University have launched SustaInvest, a sustainable investing portfolio pitch competition focused on maximizing profitability and sustainability in investment decisions. To participate, undergraduate and graduate students worldwide must submit a mock portfolio of sustainable investments worth $100,000 by March 25, 2009. Portfolios will be reviewed by the SustaInvest Advisory Council, who will judge the portfolios based on a demonstrated understanding of the interdependence among business, society and the environment for a competitive advantage and will reward thoughtful design of high performance, sustainability-driven investments.
SustaInvest is open to any graduate or undergraduate student at any institution. Upon registration to the competition, students will have access to conference calls and web-based chats with the investment professionals on the SustaInvest Advisory Council to discuss sustainable investment strategies. Finalists will pitch their portfolio to the SustaInvest Advisory Council on April 17, 2009 in Ithaca, NY as part of the University-wide Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration. This year's grand prize includes paid registration to the 2009 Net Impact Conference and $500 cash. Second and third-prize winners will receive $200 and $100, respectively.
"SustaInvest offers students a unique opportunity to develop strategies for sustainable investing and receive critique from experts in the field, which is growing rapidly," says Britta von Oesen, a second year MBA student at Cornell's Johnson School and member of the SustaInvest Student Management Committee.
The SustaInvest Student Management Committee developed the competition to highlight the opportunity to find profitable investments with social and environmental benefits. Now in its third year, the student committee is looking to expand the competition to reach additional schools, while helping promote Cornell as the vanguard for sustainability and environmental education.
Allison Silverstein, an undergraduate member of the SustaInvest Student Management Committee, hopes it will have an impact on the next generation of business leaders. "The competition attempts to break the stereotype that profitability and environmental and social responsibility are mutually exclusive SustaInvest allows college students to jumpstart the process of utilizing practical tools to help confront imminent global issues."
Registration is currently open and submissions are due by Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Finalists will present to the Advisory Council on April 17. For more information, or to submit your mock portfolio, please visit: www.sustainvest.org.
Contacts :
Britta von Oeson
bbv3@cornell.edu
Allison Lake Silverstein
als232@cornell.edu
