About

On 3 December 2021, the Laidlaw Alumni Society met in London to celebrate the launch of Laidlaw Scholars Ventures. If you missed the live event, watch the recording here to discover the fund's vision in the words of Laidlaw Foundation CEO Susanna V. Kempe and Laidlaw Scholars Ventures Chief Investment Officer Niall Santamaria.

Laidlaw Scholars Ventures accelerates start-ups founded and run by Laidlaw Scholars, financing their growth, providing support services, delivering extensive training and development, and bringing a network of expert advisors and mentors to guide portfolio businesses.  

All profits from LSV will be returned to the Laidlaw Foundation to invest in the education of the underprivileged and underrepresented, break the cycle of poverty, and develop a new generation of leaders.

Learn more here.

Timecodes

00:00 - Introductions

01:25 - Susanna V. Kempe speaks

07:14 - Niall Santamaria speaks

13:35 - [Audience Question] What amount of capital will you be investing in individual businesses? How do you decide? 

17:38 - [Audience Question] What kind of return are you expecting on LSV investments—Monetary? Impact?

19:35 - [Audience Question] Will you be opening opportunities for Laidlaw Scholars to assist with the operational side of the fund?

24:28 - [Audience Question] It could be interesting to keep tabs on people who could be potential co-founders in a talent pool. How do you plan to turbo-charge the platform on the Foundation side to have people connect in a more effective way and find these potential co-founders?

29:41 - [Audience Question] Do you have a set time period in which you must use these funds?

31:29 - [Audience Question] Do. you support ventures at the ideation phase?

42:18 - [Audience Question] Building out an incubator could be a massive asset for the Foundation to support founders, especially women, trying to break into new spaces.

47:48 - [Audience Question] Is this venture open to scholars who have received the Women's Leadership Award at LBS?