As we mentioned in our newsletter, we are excited to have Lee Carter joining us full time in our Boston office. Lee interned with us last summer and continually impressed us with the magic he works in Excel and his understanding of complex financial models and ideas. In his new roll as an ID Investment Analyst, Lee will focus on financial analysis and metrics. He also built the model behind Africa’s Big Three and we’re looking forward to working with Lee to create more original research.
Lee’s a graduate of Colorado College with a degree in Mathematical Economics. He also spent a semester studying at the University of Ghana. Lee has tried his hand as an entrepreneur more than once. He founded and organized the Elysian Fields Music Festival four consecutive summers in a row. More recently, Lee left his legacy at Colorado College by founding a campus bar, an idea borne out of an entrepreneurship class assignment.
We asked him a few questions to introduce you to Lee’s philosophy on impact investing and how he’ll use his skills at Invested Development. Look out for his work on the blog in the coming weeks!
How will your degree in Mathematical Economics help you in your work?
LC: My degree concentrated heavily on theoretical economics and mathematics as applicable to economics. My experience in mathematics will allow me to pursue research projects both for blog posts or investment analysis that go beyond pure qualitative research. For example, I would like to create a more advanced model of the “Africa’s Big Three” post published in January. I will be able to add to the already established team roles through my analytical and modeling abilities learned in college.
How did your experience studying abroad in Ghana influence your perspective on social entrepreneurship and impact investing?
LC: My time in Ghana was my first introduction to the energy and excitement around impact investing and social entrepreneurship. I happened to be next-door neighbors with Sean (who is now working in the Kenya office) who told me about impact investing and the work he was doing for Invested Development. Each project that he was working on interested me immensely. While in Ghana, I saw first hand what entrepreneurs describe as the need being met by their product or service. This experience gave me the desire to work in this field and specifically at Invested Development.
What are you hoping to learn from Invested Development?
LC: I am hoping to build a base of knowledge about the impact investing/social entrepreneurship field as well as gain experience in the venture capital industry. I am an entrepreneur at heart; I started two companies while in college, and would like to expand my experience in the startup industry, especially socially inclined startups. Invested Development provides the perfect mixture of being able to experience working for a small company while evaluating entrepreneurs and startups on a daily basis.
Check back next week to meet our Monterey Institute Frontier Market Scout, Catherine Munyua!