SPP students win Bridges Impact Award at global MIINT competition

The School of Public Policy is proud to celebrate the success of a team of MPA and MPP students who reached the global finals of the Turner MIINT competition and were awarded the prestigious Bridges Impact Award.

The Turner MIINT (MBA Impact Investing Network & Training) competition is a global programme that gives students hands-on experience in impact investing, challenging them to evaluate real companies and develop investment recommendations. This year’s finals took place at the Wharton School, bringing together leading universities from around the world.

The LSE team, made up of Claudia Villanueva (MPA), Daniela Saade (MPP), Joviana Aprilia (MPA), Micaela Duffy (MPA) and Sarah Swackhamer (MPA), developed an investment case for AquaBloom, an Indonesian startup producing seaweed-based biostimulants to support smallholder farmers. Their work combined commercial analysis with a rigorous assessment of impact, ultimately leading to a recommendation for investment.

Their strong focus on impact was central to their success. As the team explained:

“Throughout the sourcing process, we focused on shortlisting companies whose impact we truly believed in and were excited about. This focus carried over into our diligence process. Our team brought together diverse experience from sustainable finance, corporate philanthropy, financial inclusion, international organisations, and non-profits, and we split into groups to tackle different aspects of due diligence that fit with our own expertise. Still, at nearly every meeting, we discussed the impact analysis as a team, often at length. These discussions were always productive, thanks not only to our collective passion for impact, but also to the coursework we are undertaking in the SPP, which helps us approach impact in an analytical and rigorous way.”

The team was supported throughout the competition by the LSE Marshall Institute, with mentorship from its Director, Stephan Chambers. Reflecting on their journey, he said:

“I’ve enjoyed working with this group of MPA and MPP students on the MIINT competition. Developing an investment case has required them to confront the fact that impact investing is rarely straightforward, particularly when balancing commercial logic with meaningful impact. It has been especially valuable to see them apply what they are learning in a practical context.”

Their achievement highlights the strength of experiential learning at the School of Public Policy, where students are encouraged to apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges. It also reflects the growing importance of impact investing in addressing global issues, from climate change to financial inclusion.

You can read more about the team’s experience in the Marshall Institute Q&A blog here.