Since earning undergraduate degrees in both mechanical engineering and management and an SM in civil and environmental engineering from MIT, Walid Fakhry has worked as an entrepreneur, investment banker, and investor. Fakhry recently gave an unrestricted gift to the physics department—his first gift to the Institute.

How MIT shaped his life. “My time at MIT fundamentally changed my outlook on the world,” says Fakhry, who is a partner at Core Capital Partners, a London-based private equity firm. “The rigor of MIT’s educational process built in me a certain discipline and confidence that has been key to my successes. At MIT, I developed the belief that hard work and focus would enable me to overcome every obstacle, no matter how complex or challenging.”

Choosing an unrestricted gift. “Over time, I developed a good relationship with various members of the physics department,” says Fakhry. “The work they do has the potential to deliver extraordinary discoveries with a broad impact. My unrestricted gift was a demonstration of support for the whole department and trust in their ability to make the right investments.”

How he sees his gift’s impact. “I hope the gift will support more risk-taking around ideas that would otherwise not be pursued and that those ideas yield change that will benefit society in a meaningful way,” says Fakhry. “While I do believe in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, being part of an effort by the best minds in the world who are attempting something new—and succeeding—is tremendously exciting.”

For more information, contact David Woodruff: 617-253-3990; [email protected].
Or visit giving.mit.edu.