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David Chen
David Chen

MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS & DECISION SCIENCES; SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Lecturer of Social Enterprise at Kellogg

Print Overview
Dave Chen’s focus on sustainability is a result of his work in venture capital, regional economic development and energy policy. In 2007, as a visiting executive at the Meyer Memorial Trust, he developed a investing thesis on mission related investing (MRI); this tool has since been adopted by several institutions. In late 2007, he formed Equilibrium Capital Group; an investment firm focused on growth equity investment opportunities in the area of sustainability.

Previously, Dave was a general partner at OVP Venture Partners, joining the firm in 2001, focused on early stage tech venture investing.

Until 2002, he served on the board of HNC Software and merged it with FICO (NASDAQ:HNCS, now NYSE:FIC).

Prior to OVP, Dave founded GeoTrust (acquired by Verisign 2006) & The Ascent Group; was Vice President Marketing Mentor Graphics; was an associate at McKinsey & Co; and was an early team member in 1978-84 at Solectron.

Dave serves as:
- Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Portland Branch
- Governor-Appointed Chairman of the Oregon Innovation Council
- Advisory Board Member of the Oregon Investment Fund (OIF)&
- Advisory Board of the X Prize for Energy & Environment
- Board member of National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
- Board member The Freshwater Trust
- Chairman (2003-2009) of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI)
- Chairman (2006) of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum
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Full-Time / Part-Time MBA
Impact Investing (SEEK-921-0)

This course counts toward the following majors: Social Enterprise.

Can an investment strategy focused on creating positive change in the environment and society also generate superior financial returns? What if the financial creativity that created the CDO (collateralized debt obligations) and ABS (asset back securities) was directed at the massive market opportunities in climate change, resource constraint and the bottom of the pyramid? How are institutional investors catalyzing these strategies? This course examines these questions. We'll bring into the classroom leaders of investment firms executing these strategies in sustainability-driven public equities funds, green real estate, energy efficiency financing, green fixed income, carbon financing and environmental services, and micro-finance and micro-enterprise.

Sustainability and Finance (SEEK-921-B)

This course counts toward the following majors: Social Enterprise.

Can an investment strategy focused on creating positive change in the environment and society also generate superior financial returns? What if the financial creativity that created the CDO (collateralized debt obligations) and ABS (asset back securities) was directed at the massive market opportunities in climate change, resource constraint and the bottom of the pyramid? How are institutional investors catalyzing these strategies? This course examines these questions. We'll bring into the classroom leaders of investment firms executing these strategies in sustainability-driven public equities funds, green real estate, energy efficiency financing, green fixed income, carbon financing and environmental services, and micro-finance and micro-enterprise.