In honor of their 25th reunion, Sacha Lainovic and Yasunori Kaneko jointly established a $1 million fellowship to support international students and inspire them to give back.
To reflect the rapidly changing business world, Stanford GSB knows it must attract a diverse group of future leaders from around the world. International students, which make up about one-third of the school’s study body, frequently graduate with more debt than their domestic classmates. Due to financial hardship, as well as some cultural practices, they are less likely to give back to the school. That places a double hardship on Stanford GSB. Student tuition covers only part of the cost of a Stanford GSB education; alumni often pay back the difference with gifts after they are established in their careers.
Sacha Lainovic (left) and Yasunori Kaneko, both MBA ’81.
Two classmates in the MBA Class of 1981 understand this pressing need. In honor of their 25th reunion, Sacha Lainovic and Yasunori Kaneko jointly established a $1 million fellowship to support international students and inspire them to give back.
“Stanford GSB has opened opportunities for me that I did not even know existed before coming to Stanford,” says Lainovic, who was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Ethiopia. “While this is the case with many Stanford GSB students, it is especially true for international students. I wanted to help open the door to more foreign students.”
Lainovic is founder and managing director of Invus Financial Advisors LLC, an investment firm specializing in alternative assets.
“The school gave so much to me, so I feel it is critical to give back and encourage greater support from international alumni,” concurs Kaneko, a native of Japan who is managing director of Skyline Ventures, a venture capital firm that specializes in investing in product-focused health-care companies. “International students are a key part of the school and contribute greatly to the richness of a Stanford GSB experience.”
By alleviating some of the burden associated with financing a Stanford MBA degree, the Kaneko/Lainovic International Fellowship gives recipients the freedom to pursue a broad range of career options upon graduation. The fund also helps Stanford GSB become more competitive relative to other business schools by attracting more applicants, regardless of their financial capacity or country of origin. The school is fortunate to have international alumni like classmates Lainovic and Kaneko who understand the need to reciprocate and invest in an institution that has meant so much to them.
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