A crowdfunding platform helping MBA students fromAfrica and Asia to attend top US and Europeanbusiness schools has raised 100m from a group ofinstitutions and entrepreneurs, including Betfair co-founder Ed Wray.

一個幫助來自非洲和亞洲的MBA學生進入美國和歐洲頂級商學院就讀的眾籌平臺，從一些機構和企業家那里籌集了1億英鎊資金，其中包括必發公司(Betfair)的聯合創始人埃德雷(EdWray)。

Prodigy Finance was co-founded by three Inseadbusiness school graduates, led by South African-born chief executive Cameron Stevens, afterdiscovering that many classmates had been refused bank finance despite their higher thanaverage future earnings potential.

Prodigy Finance是由歐洲工商管理學院(Insead)的3名畢業生共同創辦的，領頭的是出生于南非的首席執行官卡梅倫史蒂文斯(Cameron Stevens)。此前他們發現，盡管很多同學未來的潛在收入遠高于平均水平，但仍被銀行拒絕放貸。

The average salary for an MBA graduate from Harvard Business School is $180,000 three yearsafter graduation, according to FT rankings data. But overseas students often struggle topersuade banks to lend them the money to pay the six-figure course fees because they lack aUS credit record.

英國《金融時報》排行榜數據顯示，畢業3年后，哈佛商學院(Harvard Business School) MBA畢業生的平均年薪為18萬美元。但是，由于海外學生在美國沒有信用記錄，他們往往很難說服銀行借錢給他們以支付6位數的學費。

Three quarters of Prodigy’s borrowers come from developing world countries, including about athird from Brazil, Russia, India and China, many of whom find jobs in their home countries aftergraduation, making them extremely low risk, according to Mr Stevens.

Prodigy的借款人有四分之三來自發展中國家，包括大約三分之一來自巴西、俄羅斯、印度和中國。據史蒂文斯稱，來自這4個國家的很多學生在畢業后都會在國內找到工作，這使得他們的違約風險極低。

“We don’t care if you move from Shanghai, Dubai or New York because it is a global market,he said. “In the past, someone coming from China to study in London would have to stay in theUK to find work. Now they can return to work for Google in Shanghai.

“我們不在乎你來自上海、迪拜還是紐約，因為這是個全球市場，他稱，“過去，在倫敦留學的中國學生不得不留在英國找工作。如今，他們可以回到上海為谷歌(Google)工作。

Prodigy has processed more than $130m of loans for about 2,000 MBA students in 92countries since it launched eight years ago and boasts repayment rates in excess of 99 percent.

創立8年來，Prodigy已經向來自92個國家的約2000名MBA學生發放了逾1.3億美元的貸款，并以超過99%的還款率為傲。

A big attraction of MBA graduates is their higher future earnings potential, according to MrStevens, who predicts that Prodigy will be processing $1bn of loans a year by 2023.

史蒂文斯稱，MBA畢業生的一個較大吸引點是他們未來有望獲得較高收入。他預計到2023年Prodigy將會每年發放10億美元的貸款。

The problem for overseas MBA students getting funding also hits Americans wishing to study atLondon Business School or Europeans with a place at the University of Pennsylvania’sprestigious Wharton School, Mr Stevens adds. “We are a global social enterprise, he said.

史蒂文斯補充道，海外MBA學生獲得資金的困難，也同樣阻礙著希望去倫敦商學院(London BusinessSchool)深造的美國學生、或者希望去賓西法尼亞大學(University of Pennsylvania)著名的沃頓商學院(Wharton School)就讀的歐洲學生。“我們是一家全球化的社會企業，他稱。

Prodigy’s marketplace operates through a listed bond programme, in which lenders buy a stakein a package of debt supporting a group of students from a recognised business school ratherthan offering credit to individuals.

Prodigy的市場通過一個上市的債券計劃運行——貸款人購買一個債權組合的股份，支持某一所公認的商學院的一組學生，而非為個人提供信貸。

Many of those lending money are MBA alumni themselves and 60 of the world’s 100 topbusiness schools are partners on the platform.

很多貸款人本身是MBA的校友，而全世界100所頂級商學院中的60所是該平臺的合作方。

Loans for course fees are possible through other crowdfunding platforms, such as US-basedCommonbond and SoFi, although neither of these specialise in the business school market.

針對學費的貸款也可能通過其他眾籌平臺申請，比如位于美國的Commonbond和SoFi，盡管它們都不是專門針對商學院市場的。

Prodigy’s new financing, consisting of 12.5m of equity investment from Balderton Capital, atechnology venture capital company, and various angel investors plus 87.5m in loan capitalfrom Credit Suisse, will fund staffing increases and boost lending capacity.

Prodigy獲得的新融資包括科技風投公司Balderton Capital的1250萬英鎊的股權投資、多家天使投資機構以及瑞信(Credit Suisse)提供的8750萬英鎊貸款資本。這些融資將用于增加雇員和提高放貸能力。

Tim Bunting, a partner at Balderton Capital, who along with Mr Wray are taking a seat on theProdigy board, said: “Cameron and his team have created a global execution platform thatgives investors the opportunity to fund international students in a meritocratic fashion thatpositively challenges the status quo. This is a huge win for the students.

Balderton Capital的合伙人蒂姆邦廷(Tim Bunting)和必發的埃德雷一樣都是Prodigy董事會成員。他稱，“卡梅倫及其團隊打造了一個全球執行平臺，讓投資者有機會以任人唯賢的方式資助國際學生，以積極的姿態挑戰現狀。這對學生們是個巨大的勝利。

A crowdfunding platform helping MBA students fromAfrica and Asia to attend top US and Europeanbusiness schools has raised 100m from a group ofinstitutions and entrepreneurs, including Betfair co-founder Ed Wray.

一個幫助來自非洲和亞洲的MBA學生進入美國和歐洲頂級商學院就讀的眾籌平臺，從一些機構和企業家那里籌集了1億英鎊資金，其中包括必發公司(Betfair)的聯合創始人埃德雷(EdWray)。

Prodigy Finance was co-founded by three Inseadbusiness school graduates, led by South African-born chief executive Cameron Stevens, afterdiscovering that many classmates had been refused bank finance despite their higher thanaverage future earnings potential.

Prodigy Finance是由歐洲工商管理學院(Insead)的3名畢業生共同創辦的，領頭的是出生于南非的首席執行官卡梅倫史蒂文斯(Cameron Stevens)。此前他們發現，盡管很多同學未來的潛在收入遠高于平均水平，但仍被銀行拒絕放貸。

The average salary for an MBA graduate from Harvard Business School is $180,000 three yearsafter graduation, according to FT rankings data. But overseas students often struggle topersuade banks to lend them the money to pay the six-figure course fees because they lack aUS credit record.

英國《金融時報》排行榜數據顯示，畢業3年后，哈佛商學院(Harvard Business School) MBA畢業生的平均年薪為18萬美元。但是，由于海外學生在美國沒有信用記錄，他們往往很難說服銀行借錢給他們以支付6位數的學費。

Three quarters of Prodigy’s borrowers come from developing world countries, including about athird from Brazil, Russia, India and China, many of whom find jobs in their home countries aftergraduation, making them extremely low risk, according to Mr Stevens.

Prodigy的借款人有四分之三來自發展中國家，包括大約三分之一來自巴西、俄羅斯、印度和中國。據史蒂文斯稱，來自這4個國家的很多學生在畢業后都會在國內找到工作，這使得他們的違約風險極低。

“We don’t care if you move from Shanghai, Dubai or New York because it is a global market,he said. “In the past, someone coming from China to study in London would have to stay in theUK to find work. Now they can return to work for Google in Shanghai.

“我們不在乎你來自上海、迪拜還是紐約，因為這是個全球市場，他稱，“過去，在倫敦留學的中國學生不得不留在英國找工作。如今，他們可以回到上海為谷歌(Google)工作。

Prodigy has processed more than $130m of loans for about 2,000 MBA students in 92countries since it launched eight years ago and boasts repayment rates in excess of 99 percent.

創立8年來，Prodigy已經向來自92個國家的約2000名MBA學生發放了逾1.3億美元的貸款，并以超過99%的還款率為傲。

A big attraction of MBA graduates is their higher future earnings potential, according to MrStevens, who predicts that Prodigy will be processing $1bn of loans a year by 2023.

史蒂文斯稱，MBA畢業生的一個較大吸引點是他們未來有望獲得較高收入。他預計到2023年Prodigy將會每年發放10億美元的貸款。

The problem for overseas MBA students getting funding also hits Americans wishing to study atLondon Business School or Europeans with a place at the University of Pennsylvania’sprestigious Wharton School, Mr Stevens adds. “We are a global social enterprise, he said.

史蒂文斯補充道，海外MBA學生獲得資金的困難，也同樣阻礙著希望去倫敦商學院(London BusinessSchool)深造的美國學生、或者希望去賓西法尼亞大學(University of Pennsylvania)著名的沃頓商學院(Wharton School)就讀的歐洲學生。“我們是一家全球化的社會企業，他稱。

Prodigy’s marketplace operates through a listed bond programme, in which lenders buy a stakein a package of debt supporting a group of students from a recognised business school ratherthan offering credit to individuals.

Prodigy的市場通過一個上市的債券計劃運行——貸款人購買一個債權組合的股份，支持某一所公認的商學院的一組學生，而非為個人提供信貸。

Many of those lending money are MBA alumni themselves and 60 of the world’s 100 topbusiness schools are partners on the platform.

很多貸款人本身是MBA的校友，而全世界100所頂級商學院中的60所是該平臺的合作方。

Loans for course fees are possible through other crowdfunding platforms, such as US-basedCommonbond and SoFi, although neither of these specialise in the business school market.

針對學費的貸款也可能通過其他眾籌平臺申請，比如位于美國的Commonbond和SoFi，盡管它們都不是專門針對商學院市場的。

Prodigy’s new financing, consisting of 12.5m of equity investment from Balderton Capital, atechnology venture capital company, and various angel investors plus 87.5m in loan capitalfrom Credit Suisse, will fund staffing increases and boost lending capacity.

Prodigy獲得的新融資包括科技風投公司Balderton Capital的1250萬英鎊的股權投資、多家天使投資機構以及瑞信(Credit Suisse)提供的8750萬英鎊貸款資本。這些融資將用于增加雇員和提高放貸能力。

Tim Bunting, a partner at Balderton Capital, who along with Mr Wray are taking a seat on theProdigy board, said: “Cameron and his team have created a global execution platform thatgives investors the opportunity to fund international students in a meritocratic fashion thatpositively challenges the status quo. This is a huge win for the students.

Balderton Capital的合伙人蒂姆邦廷(Tim Bunting)和必發的埃德雷一樣都是Prodigy董事會成員。他稱，“卡梅倫及其團隊打造了一個全球執行平臺，讓投資者有機會以任人唯賢的方式資助國際學生，以積極的姿態挑戰現狀。這對學生們是個巨大的勝利。