From his base in Silicon Valley, Jordan Lee took a surprising decision in early 2019. He opened the books of his start-up company to detailed scrutiny from an unusual group of potential investors: MBA students from Dartmouth College with only $25,000 to offer.
“One of our venture capital backers put us in touch,” says Mr Lee, who has already raised $2m in seed funding for his company CollegeBacker which provides a way for families and friends to navigate complex tax structures to contribute to a loved one’s tuition fees. “The process the students ran was really impressive. They were mission-orientated, clear and rigorous. We were super excited and honoured that they would invest.”
For Alyssa Kasanoff, who has just graduated from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, participating in the decision by the Tuck Social Venture Fund to invest in CollegeBacker was one of the highlights of her MBA.