Kirchner Food Fellowship Opens Application Period for 2021-2022 Programs

Program recruiting students for three distinct cohorts

Washington, DC – Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico – Jacksonville, Florida – 03 March 2021 – The Kirchner Impact Foundation is pleased to announce that the Kirchner Food Fellowship, a leading impact investing fellowship, is now accepting applications until April 30^th for its 2021-22 academic year program. The fellowship, now in its 8^th year, is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative venture capital initiatives focused on workforce development and deploying angel capital in underserved areas.

For the first time ever the program will be running and recruiting for three cohorts simultaneously; the recently announced HBCU Cohort (for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities), a Mexico Cohort (for students attending university in Mexico) and an Americas Cohort (for students attending university in Central America or North America with a connection to or interest in Central America).

Candidates can be graduate or undergraduate students and should reflect characteristics such as self-motivation, intellectual curiosity, and passion for the power of business for social and environmental change, especially in addressing global food security challenges. The program is demanding, as selected students will be investing real money in a real company while remaining full-time students at their respective universities – they will be “impact venture capitalists” for a year.

“One of the most important strengths of our program is the incredibly talented students who are focused on making an impact,” commented Adrian García, Director. “Our alumni are proof that the model we have developed can help to contribute to their future careers and success.”

The program, which follows the academic calendar (September – June), will select three teams (cohorts) of students. The teams work virtually and gather in person periodically (COVID-19 permitting) for more intensive work sessions with the directors, advisors and sector thought leaders. The program is challenging, applicants should expect to devote 10-15 hours per week to the fellowship. Those interested in applying can visit the website here.

Alumni of the program come from some of the leading agriculture institutions such as: UC Davis, Texas A&M, Cornell, Guelph, Zamorano, Auburn, NC State, CINVESTAV and Rutgers; as well as leading business and policy institutions such as Wharton, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Emory, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Tec de Monterrey and UNC Chapel Hill.

“This program shapes you and I have to say, in an incredible way,” commented Abigail Napsuciale Heredia, 2020-21 Fellow. “All the mentors, all the experience, all the knowledge that they transmit to us is life changing and sets the path towards the formation of a whole new generation of future investors.”

The Kirchner Food Fellowship is made possible through the support of the Kirchner Group, partner organizations and individual donors. Kirchner Group has a three-decade history working with agriculture and food companies from start-up to exit and is one of the leading boutique groups in the sector. The Fellowship support is part of its “returning” initiatives and capitalizes on Kirchner’s unprecedented track record and network.

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 to advance Global Food Security. 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 where 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

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 | Kirchner Group | +1 902.817.2405 | bgkirchner@kirchnergroup.com