Kirchner Impact Foundation and Watson Institute Announce Collaboration
Leveraging the Kirchner and Watson complementary capital allocation and entrepreneurial programs
Toronto, Ontario, Guatemala City, Guatemala and Birmingham, Alabama, – 12 March 2020 – The Kirchner Impact Foundation and Watson Institute today announced that they are collaborating to identify, train, and support next generation, impact focused capital allocators from Guatemala, Costa Rica and the rest of Central America.
Students selected for the Watson Institute at Universidad Francisco Marroquín’s Career Accelerator in Guatemala City have the opportunity to express interest in The Kirchner Fellowship on their application and complete the highly regarded Kirchner Investment Academy’s intensive, 25-hour program at UFM on July 4-6th.
“The Kirchner Investment Academy was the most precise financial course I have taken in relation to capital funding and startups, it is a course that every entrepreneur should take,” mentioned Kirchner Investment Academy participant Sergio López, Entrepreneur and Founder of Mexican based Rayo Bio-energía.
The collaboration will leverage the power of Kirchner Impact Foundation’s proven capital allocator focused Fellowship program and Investment Academy with Watson Institute’s training, mentorship, and network. Upon completion of the Watson program the Kirchner Impact Foundation will determine if 3 students will be selected as the first Central American fellows for their flagship Kirchner Fellowship program.
If Fellows are selected they will participate in the internationally recognized Kirchner Fellowship, a virtual capital allocator training program during their Watson Institute at UFM structured placement / internship from July to November. Already established in Canada, U.S. and Mexico, the Kirchner Fellowship is the world’s first hands-on impact investment program. During their tenure the Fellows will be trained in best practices of impact investment and given discretion over finding and funding an impact focused investment opportunity in the agricultural space in Central America.
“This collaboration will allow our program to continue to expand its presence in Central America which has always been a region of focus for us,” stated Blair Kirchner, Director of the Kirchner Food Fellowship. “Watson Institute is a mission aligned organization that we are very excited to be working with. We look forward to continuing to enhance our impact on the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors.”
Watson Institute at Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM) Career Accelerator is an intensive 6-week program taking place from May 25 to July 3, 2020 on UFM’s campus in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The program accelerates impactful, successful careers of next generation entrepreneurial leaders through rigorous training in the skills required for success in today’s economy and workforce, intensive mentorship, experience interning with leading organizations, and a community of peers.
“In order to create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that can develop solutions to the most complex and urgent challenges we face, it is crucial to develop a generation of both entrepreneurs but also experienced investors who can strategically allocate leveraged capital,” added Eric Glustrom, Founder of Watson Institute. “Developing a generation of impact-minded capital allocators is exactly the outcome Kirchner Impact Foundation and Watson Institute are teaming up to achieve.”
Students interested in applying to Watson Institute at UFM and becoming part of the Kirchner Fellowship Central America can learn more here and complete the application here.
Watson Institute
The Watson Institute is a model of education for next-generation innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs with locations in Boulder, Colorado, Boca Raton, Florida and Guatemala City, Guatemala. Built on the belief that to solve the toughest challenges facing the world, Watson Institute seeks to equip the next generation with the necessary tools, network, mindset, and courage to unleash a lifetime of impact. www.watson.is
Eric Glustrom | Founder| +1 720.432.0629 | eric@watson.is
Kirchner Food Fellowship
The Kirchner Food Fellowship is a pioneer in the lean investment movement,
harnessing the power of highly-committed millennial talent to find, fund and
assist promising socially-responsible, for-profit agricultural businesses.
Through the use of a “real-world, real-time, real money” model the program has
proven that it is possible for newly formed investment teams to become
effective venture capital allocators in a matter of months. The combination of
compressed learning time frames and low operating costs makes it possible to
more cost effectively deploy smart and impactful capital in parts of the
world were angel capital is needed most, leading some to describe the program
as “Peace Corps meets VC”. For more on the program or to apply please visit www.fundthefood.com
and our recent AgFunder
article.
The Kirchner Food Fellowship is an initiative of The Kirchner Impact Foundation (501 (c) (3)) one of the “returning arms” of Kirchner Group, that focuses on harnessing the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of the most important issues of today. www.kirchnerimpact.com
Steve Dauphin | Director | +1 205.602.9845 | sdauphin@kirchnerimpact.com
Kirchner Group
Kirchner Group was founded in 1985 as a boutique firm and today
operates various subsidiaries, providing advisory services (M&A,
assessments, diligence) and operational support (interim management, workouts,
turnarounds) as well as asset management (dedicated, portfolio optimization) –
all leveraging a proprietary approach that dovetails domain and process
expertise.
Throughout the decades Kirchner Group has been internationally recognized for its unique business model centered around creating value while promoting values: “earning while returning”. The firm has also established a reputation for building and rebuilding important business and social paradigms based on its deep entrepreneurial orientation.
Kirchner Group’s clients and partners include early stage to mid-market companies, venture capital and private equity firms as well as family offices and some of the world’s largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors. www.kirchnergroup.com
Blair Kirchner | Managing Director & Co-Head of Impact Activities | 902.817.2405 | bgkirchner@kirchnergroup.com