Wharton School · University of Pennsylvania
Announces the formation of the
Think. Debate. Allocate.
A forum for the practice of capital allocation at Wharton — convening investors, operators, executives, and allocators to exchange ideas, debate real-world decisions, and learn from the practice of investing across public and private markets.
WEMBA 52 · San Francisco · Philadelphia · Global · Alumni
Wharton offers exceptional organizations focused on recruiting, investing education, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement. HIF serves a different purpose. While many Wharton organizations help students prepare for careers in investing, HIF is designed for members who already participate in capital allocation decisions — as investors, operators, lenders, advisors, executives, or entrepreneurs.
The forum creates opportunities for peer learning through investment debate, practitioner-generated content, real-world case discussions, and direct engagement with experienced investors and operators.
The objective is not recruiting. It is to build a community where Wharton members and alumni can sharpen judgment, exchange perspectives, and develop relationships around the practice of capital allocation.
Members periodically share investment theses, market views, industry analyses, and asset-allocation perspectives across public equities, credit, private equity, venture, infrastructure, and real estate. Submissions circulate for discussion and constructive challenge.
Theses debated. No theatre.
Members and alumni contribute redacted cases drawn from real transactions, investment decisions, financings, acquisitions, and operating challenges. Participants evaluate the situation independently before a moderated discussion — closing with the actual outcome and lessons learned.
Real deals. Actual outcomes.
Conversations with investors, operators, faculty, and industry leaders across public and private markets — on investment judgment, portfolio construction, capital allocation, risk management, deal execution, and long-term value creation.
Investors. Operators. Faculty.
A members-only library of the forum’s work: deal write-ups and investment memos contributed by practitioners, plus recordings from Distinguished Speaker sessions — all organized by asset class, from M&A and public equities to credit, private equity, and real assets.
Members submit a thesis, browse what others have shared, and revisit past sessions on demand. Contributing is the heart of the practitioner core.
HIF is open to the full Wharton community and centered on its practitioners. Any Wharton MBA, WEMBA, or alum can take part; the working core is practitioner-led by design.
Open to all Wharton MBA, WEMBA, and alumni.
The forum's on-ramp: access to the Distinguished Speaker Series, open discussions, and community programming. Members interested in investing, business strategy, and capital allocation are welcome to participate and learn from the broader community.
For members whose work involves capital allocation or investment decision-making.
Investment evaluation, strategic finance, corporate development, lending, advisory, or operating leadership — members who actively contribute theses, case analyses, or discussion leadership. Practitioners form the forum's core: they lead case discussions and roundtables and receive full access to the case archive and member-generated content.
Extended by invitation.
Wharton alumni, faculty, and senior investors, operators, and industry leaders who materially shape the forum through mentorship, case development, speaking engagements, or governance. Distinguished Members anchor HIF's seniority and practitioner access.
Akshay Narkar
President
Senior Finance Lead, WSP Global
Mohan Nagaraja
VP Programs
Manager, Innovation Portfolio, ABIM
Samantha Wetzel
VP Finance
Investment Director, Vanguard Group
HIF complements Wharton’s existing organizations by serving as a practitioner-oriented forum where students, executives, investors, operators, and alumni engage as peers around real-world capital allocation.