NYU Impact Investment Fund

What NYU Impact Investment Fund does

The NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a student-led nonprofit impact investment fund established in 2017 as a joint venture between New York University's Stern School of Business, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and School of Law, with NYU Abu Dhabi added as a collaborator around 2024. The fund sources, selects, and diligences early-stage impact investments in social enterprises spanning financial inclusion, environment, healthcare, aging, education, and food systems, deploying checks of $25,000-$30,000 per portfolio company.

NIIF houses its capital in a Donor Advised Fund at ImpactAssets, Inc., a Maryland nonprofit corporation, executing investments via the DAF and reinvesting realized returns to sustain an evergreen structure. Through six completed investments (Sapient Industries 2019, SmartGurlz 2020, KIGT 2022, EdVisorly 2023, Maternova 2024, and Rolli 2025), the fund has deployed roughly $175,000 in cumulative capital. A formal Investment Committee of external practitioners (including representatives of SteelSky Ventures, The Investment Integration Project, and Visa Foundation) and faculty supervisors (notably Professor Andrea Armeni) oversee deal approval.

The fund operates without traditional product pricing or commercial revenue mechanics; its capital base is sourced from donations through NYU's giving portal, with pro bono legal support from Orrick's Impact Finance & Investment practice, financial backing from Golub Capital's Social Impact Investment Education Fund, and a referral pipeline with Acumen. Its customer base is its portfolio of early-stage social enterprises, while the experiential-learning audience comprises ~40 NYU student investors recruited annually across Stern and Wagner.

Name

NYU Impact Investment Fund

Legal name

NYU Impact Investment Fund

Website

https://niifonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a student-led nonprofit impact investment fund deploying $25K-$30K checks into early-stage social enterprises across six sectors, housed at NYU with capital custodied by ImpactAssets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investment Fund

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAALAG

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — ESG/Sustainable & Impact Investing

SECONDARYFSANAAAG

Impact / ESG Venture Capital

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Venture Capital Firms

SECONDARYBPAGALAA

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPADACAO

Impact Investment & Development Investment Funds

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Financial Institutions & Development Banks

SECONDARYFSANAJAM

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Impact / ESG & Sustainable Investment Funds

SECONDARYFSANAJAI

Healthcare Access & Life Sciences Impact Funds

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Impact / ESG & Sustainable Investment Funds

SECONDARYBPADAOAJ

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Donor Coordination, Grantmaking & Development Finance Programs

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Early-stage investment fund
• Social enterprise capital
• Venture philanthropy
• Student-managed fund

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns Reinvestment: NIIF houses its capital within a donor-advised fund (currently ImpactAssets, Inc.) that executes NIIF's investment decisions. Once realized, returns are reinvested into the fund in order to sustain and further its impact. This creates an evergreen fund structure focused on high-impact social returns.
2. Donations and Contributions: Donations to the NYU Impact Investment Fund support students to learn about impact investing. NYU makes contributions to a designated NIIF account at a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) – currently Impact Assets, Inc. – over which NIIF has advisory privileges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a student-led impact investment fund that sources, selects, and diligences early-stage social enterprises across six target sectors: financial inclusion, environment, healthcare, aging, education, and food systems. Capital is housed within a donor-advised fund at ImpactAssets, Inc., over which NIIF holds advisory privileges, and realized returns are reinvested into the fund to sustain its evergreen structure. Selected portfolio companies receive $25,000–$30,000 in patient capital along with the credibility boost of NYU affiliation.

Product overview

The NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a student-led impact investment fund structured as a joint venture between NYU's Stern, Wagner, and Law schools, now collaborating with NYU Abu Dhabi. The fund operates by sourcing, selecting, and diligence early-stage impact investments in targeted social enterprise sectors including financial inclusion, environment, healthcare, aging, education, and food systems. NIIF executes investments via a donor-advised fund at ImpactAssets, with returns reinvested into the fund to sustain impact. The fund has made seven investments in portfolio companies including Rolli (AI-powered media platform), Maternova (women's health MedTech marketplace), EdVisorly (education transfer platform), KIGT (EV charging infrastructure), SmartGurlz (STEM education robotics), and Sapient Industries (ML-powered energy management).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) A student-led impact investment fund that deploys patient capital of $25,000–$30,000 into early-stage social enterprises operating in financial inclusion, environment, healthcare, aging, education, and food systems. Portfolio companies receive capital, a dedicated due diligence process, and the credibility boost of NYU affiliation. Capital is housed in a donor-advised fund at ImpactAssets, Inc., with realized returns reinvested to sustain the fund.
• NYU Impact Investment Fund Experiential Learning Practicum An interdisciplinary student-investor practicum operated jointly across NYU Stern, NYU Wagner, NYU Law, and NYU Abu Dhabi that trains students in source, selection, and diligence of early-stage impact investments. Students serve as active deal team members with faculty and Investment Committee oversight.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 successful investments completed across 6 years (2019-2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orrick (Impact Finance & Investment Practice)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNIIF Deal Teams receive pro bono legal support from the Impact Finance & Investment practice at Orrick, a global law firm focused on delivering innovative solutions across sectors such as Technology & Innovation, Finance, and Energy & Infrastructure.
• AcumenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAcumen is a pipeline partner to NIIF, both referring prospects and receiving referrals from NIIF for companies that may be suitable for a follow-on investment by Acumen. Acumen invests patient capital in early-stage enterprises tackling the problems of poverty.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/niif-nyu-impact-investment-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NYU Impact Investment Fund