My name is Caroline Bunch and I am a rising third year double majoring in Arabic Language & Literature and Global Studies with a concentration in the Middle East. I am minoring in entrepreneurship on the Social Entrepreneurship track, and I had the privilege of being a part of the Tadler Fellowship program beginning with the January Term course titled Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia. Prior to this course, I had very limited knowledge of impact investing outside of the pre-course materials I was assigned to read. Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia sent myself and my classmates into an intensive, hands-on learning experience that revealed the unique culture and investing climate of the Appalachian region.

During our time in Appalachia, we had the opportunity to meet both investors and entrepreneurs. One of our panels was comprised of several investment groups, including Appalachian Investors Alliance, which is based in Kentucky. After a brief discussion in the lobby with Scott Ewing, Senior Business Analyst at AIA, we agreed to keep in touch, and he offered me a position as a remote intern shortly after the J-Term concluded. I am now a Research Analyst at AIA, and my primary roles have been performing grant research, narrative writing, and investment due diligence.

While Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia provided me with the opportunity to dive into the world of impact investing, I still faced a steep learning curve at the beginning of my time with AIA. Scott offered many resources, from books to articles to reports, to assist me with overcoming this learning curve. As I continued to deepen my understanding of the uniqueness of Appalachia and the distinctive work of investors and entrepreneurs in the region, I began performing preliminary due diligence processes on companies brought to AIA. There are various basic aspects that we assess about a company in this initial screening process, including company filings and registration, funding history and intellectual property claims, qualifications of the entrepreneurial team, details of the deal/offering, and company financials. These facts, and any questions raised in the process, are offered to our investors with the option of continuing with a deeper dive into due diligence.

As I grew more comfortable with each subject of the preliminary screening process, I have most recently had the opportunity to learn how to complete our official Due Diligence Report. This process has broadened my understanding of the importance of startup companies proficiency in search engine optimization, their sales strategies, market opportunities, competitive advantages, exit strategies, and risks.

I will continue to work with Appalachian Investors Alliance throughout the school year and hopefully throughout my entire undergraduate career. One of the gaps in my learning that I have identified in my time with AIA is basic business skills, such as finance and accounting. I will be in a Business Fundamentals program at UVA this upcoming school year, and the two modules of the Fall semester address these subjects. As I learn about finance and accounting in a classroom setting, Scott and I have planned that I will simultaneously learn how to assess company financials in startups. I look forward to my future time with AIA and continuing to expand my understanding of investing and entrepreneurship in Appalachia.