Three university students spend summer on placements at Liverpool SME loan and equity provider MSIF as part of its drive to create opportunities for talented graduates. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool SME loan and equity provider MSIF has welcomed a trio of students into its city centre office this summer offering real workplace experience.

Abhijit Sinha, from the University of Liverpool, Mai Humphrey, from Liverpool John Moores University and Alfie Toone of Liverpool Hope University worked across MSIF’s three divisions, River Capital, LCR Finance Hub and Gateway Angels.

MSIF says it is determined to deepen ties with the city region’s higher education sector and chief executive Louise Towers said Abhijit, Mai and Alfie had made valuable contributions to the organisation during their placements.

“Abhijit, Mai and Alfie have each brought a genuinely fresh perspective to different parts of our business, and the quality of their work speaks for itself,” she explained.

“We’re keen to keep building on partnerships like these, and to play our part in giving talented Liverpool students the opportunity to apply their academic studies in the workplace – and to create real business impact while they do it.”

Alfie, a returning student from Liverpool Hope University who supported River Capital last summer, this year turned his attention to LCR Finance Hub and Gateway Angels.

Over six weeks he reviewed both teams’ reporting structures and data analytics processes, producing new data visualisation and forecasting work along the way.

“I found the experience immensely helpful and enjoyable in terms of teaching me practical applications of the data analysis processes I learned as part of my degree,” he said.

“Academia can have a tendency to be quite abstract, and both this and last summer’s projects have been brilliant in providing experience of translating theory into real insights, as well as the more general soft skills of operating in a corporate environment.”

Abhijit undertook a wider piece of research into the regional investment ecosystem on behalf of MSIF, conducting stakeholder interviews across the group and the wider LCR investment community including AXM Venture Capital, the University of Liverpool, and the LCR Combined Authority.

“This project has been a genuinely valuable experience,” said Abhijit. “Working directly with practitioners across the LCR investment ecosystem has given me a depth of understanding no classroom could replicate, and I am looking forward to presenting findings that I hope will create real value for MSIF.”

Mai worked with River Capital to examine how its digital presence, including its website and LinkedIn activity, could better guide North West SMEs towards the right funding opportunities.

Drawing on interviews with prospective business owners and performance data, Mai turned her findings into practical recommendations and digital prototypes for a clearer enquiry journey.

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She added: “Working with River Capital was a valuable opportunity to apply academic research to a live business challenge and develop strategic recommendations that were both practical and evidence focused.”

MSIF is now looking at how it extends this approach further across the group, with additional placements planned in the future.