Valeria Gonzalez
The solar energy market has boomed in recent years. Inovateus Solar here in South Bend was one of the companies that saw the value of solar energy early on. After being solar energy providers for a few years and gaining enough projects in their portfolio, Inovateus is ready to expand the size of projects and restructure their financial ownership model. In order to accomplish both of these things, as my capstone thesis project, I will be providing Inovateus (my industry sponsor) with a business plan on how to create and structure an energy fund. This business plan will include the financial structure, legal structure, potential partners, and financial impact of the fund.
An energy fund will give my industry sponsor access to capital in order to take on larger solar energy projects as well as reshape their financial ownership since they will now have multiple investors instead of a sole investor per project. Working on this thesis project has given me exposure to the financial and investment side of a business, as well as given me the opportunity to directly work with the CEO, CFO, and board members of Inovateus. Being a mathematics student, working on a purely financial project has been challenging, but the impact that this project will have on the company will be profound and very rewarding.