Michael Whelchel

Michael is Founder and CEO of Big Path Capital. In addition to being CEO, Michael heads the investment banking activities for the firm. In 2007 the old economy driven by the single gear of profit maximization reached a dead end in the financial crisis. It was a moment of reckoning during which Michael left his fifteen-year career in private equity to form Big Path Capital, leveraging the engine of capitalism for an expansive economy built on natural, social, and financial capital.

Recognizing that impact investing isn’t just a different way of investing but a superior way of deploying capital, Michael is committed to challenging the status quo and to raising the expectation of capital. In this vein, Big Path has created a number of first-in-class initiatives demonstrating SmarterMoney+: Maximize impact, Maximize return. These include the Five Fund Forum, Impact Capitalism Summit, and Impact & Sustainable Trade Missions.

Michael received his BA summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN and received a joint MBA and MEM (Master of Engineering Management) from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Michael is a Kellogg Youn Impact Scholar, an advisory board member of the Croatan Institute and is a member of the Social Venture Network and Net Impact.