About SIF

Value Proposition

"The availability of capital is not the problem, nor is the attractiveness of infrastructure as an asset. The challenge is 'matching' the asset class with the underlying asset, and understanding proper risk-pricing and valuation."

Jonas Englund, Capital Market Sales, SEB Enskilda, New York

Cross-Fertilization is Key

Our academic partners at UM include the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), the Center for Finance, Law and Policy (CFLP; Director: Professor Michael Barr) at the Schools of Law and Public Policy, the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity (VCPE; Director: Professor David Brophy), and the Center for Value Chain Innovation (Ross School of Business; Director: Professor Ravi Anupindi).

Our professional partners represent financial services, financial technology, and data science industries. Examples include lenders (e.g. Silicon Valley Bank, NY Green Bank, BlackRock), insurance companies (e.g. Nephila Advisors), asset managers (e.g. Dana Investment Advisors, CalPERS), data resellers and ratings agencies (e.g. MSCI, Bloomberg, TruCost S&P), ICT companies (e.g. Cisco, Google Sidewalk Labs), and FinTech startups (e.g. Ripple, Equarius Risk Analytics).

Extensive engagement with non-profits (e.g. Ceres, World Resources Institute, Global CleanTech Cluster Association, WWF, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers), and government agencies (e.g. Economic Development Administration, DOE, NSF) are key.

Why Now?

Cloud computing, big data, and the deployment of machine learning and artificial intelligence have started to influence investment models and financial transactions. From digital fund platforms, 'funds-in-a-box', algorithmic funds, and blockchain (disintermediated) finance models, to natural language processing (NLP), financial technology (FinTech) is disrupting infrastructure finance in developed and developing economies.

When the FinTech digital mega trend is aligned with the rise of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) metrics, new business and financing models can unplug capital flows towards building resilience in our infrastructure systems.