Venture Capital Private Equity Program

Participant Profile

Ideal candidates for the Venture Capital Private Equity Program are professionals who have recently embarked on their journey in private investing and are eager to take significant strides in the VC and PE sectors. The program is beneficial for executives in investment banking, finance, private equity, venture capital, financial consulting, and risk advisory, who aim to gain a holistic understanding of sourcing, managing, and structuring deals. You will emerge with the knowledge and practical experience needed to elevate your career and accelerate your firm’s impact.

Participants should have:

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• International exposure (preferred)

Program Highlights

• Core Curriculum. Kick-start your program journey with 12 weeks of online learning, imparting essential skills for investment management.
• Weekly Live Sessions. Experience live online sessions with success coaches as well as periodic guest lectures from faculty, industry leaders, and career advisors.
• World-Renowned Faculty. Learn from Columbia faculty, thought leaders, and industry experts.
• Peer Learning. Interact with and learn from high-achieving peers from around the globe and build your network.
• Choice of Electives. Select from topical electives to gain relevant skill sets specific to your role.
• Success Coach. An assigned success coach will help craft your learning journey through regular one-on-one check-in sessions.
• Practitioner Insights. Learn from faculty and industry experts during the program to gain actionable insights and implement learning into practice.
• Flexible Learning Journey. Customize your program experience by selecting from a range of topical electives and gain skill sets specific to your career goals.
• Networking Event. Interact with faculty, peers, and global industry leaders at an optional three-day on-campus networking event.
• Select Alumni Benefits. Receive select Columbia Business School alumni benefits upon completion of the program and become part of a distinguished global community.
• Capstone Project. Work on a capstone project where you apply program learnings to a real-world case.

A multimodal learning experience, the Venture Capital Private Equity Program is a must for investment professionals who aim to get a holistic understanding of the VC and PE sectors and become influential contributors to negotiations at their companies. The comprehensive curriculum provides asynchronous learning and live sessions conducted by a learning facilitator and faculty. Participants will also be exposed to a host of engaging online guest lectures and fireside chats with leading industry executives. The flexible format allows for peer-to-peer learning and exploration of “try it” activities as well as practical case studies. The immersive program culminates in a three-day optional on-campus networking event where you can connect with faculty and global peers.

Core Modules

Foundations of Venture Capital

What Is Venture Capital?

• Understand the VC Deal Flow Process
• Recognize the Risks and Rewards for Venture Investors
• Identify Startup Ecosystem Stakeholders
• Learn How to Source Quality Deal Flow

What Makes a Good VC Investment?

• Assess a Founding Team
• Pressure-Test Founder Assumptions
• Quantify the Size of a Market
• Identify Which Metrics Matter Most When Evaluating Startups

What Matters in a Term Sheet?

• Understand Financial and Governance Negotiations
• Differentiate between Priced Equity, Convertible Note, and SAFE Round
• Calculate Ownership Dilution across the Life of a Startup
• Understand Market Norms in Term Sheet Negotiations

How Do You Value a Startup?

• Understand Different Valuation Methods and Their Purpose in Assessing Startups
• Create a Valuation Scorecard
• Quantify and Mitigate Risk
• Understand the VC Method
• Learn Market Norms around Valuation

How Do You Manage a Portfolio?

• Recognize the Role of Investors Post-Investment
• Understand Portfolio Construction and Diversification
• Calculate the Return of a VC Portfolio

Lessons Learned from 15,000 Pitches

• Hear from Investors about Lessons Learned
• Identifying Non-Negotiables and Red Flags When Evaluating Startups
• Develop a Personal Networking Plan
• Launch Your VC Career

Private Equity Investment Cycle

Private Equity Foundations

• Define and Discuss PE and Its History
• Examine Net Income and Cash Flow in Relation to PE
• Identify PE Stages, Challenges, and Perspectives
• Study Related Accounting and Calculations Used in PE Valuations
• Research the Business Case for PE

What Makes a Good PE Investment?

• Identify Key Elements and Measures That Make a Good PE Investment
• Examine the Impact of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) in PE
• Analyze the Elements and Measures of PE Returns
• Review PE Research and Evaluate Findings
• Calculate Potential Return Using Standard Deviation

How Do You Put the Deal Together?

• Identify and Define the Main Components of a PE Deal
• Review the Components of PE Deal Sourcing, Time Management, and Relationships
• Examine the PE Sales Process
• List the Differences between Public and Private PE Companies
• Study the PE Valuation Process and Perform Related Calculations

How Do You Create Value in PE?

• Review the Role of Price and Value in a Portfolio Company
• Define Levers of Value in the PE Cycle
• Identify Purchase Price Requirements
• Define Synergies and Their Relationship to PE
• Perform Calculations to Create Positive PE Investment Decisions

What Does Success Look Like?

• Rigorous Investment Thesis: Public and Private Investment
• Exit Strategies: IPO Sale to Strategic Buyer, Sale PE Buyer
• Pricing Exiting — Elements of Return
• Due Diligence Inquiry: Financial, Legal, and Operational
• Leveraged Buyout

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

• Benefit of Bargain Protections
• Risk Management Scenarios
• Deal Documentation
• Common Merger Agreements

Online Electives

A relevant choice of online electives will enhance your learning journey and assist in gaining knowledge and skills essential for your career growth. In these three six-week electives, you will dive deep into content that will expand your horizon, provide a global perspective, and sharpen your investment skills. These electives will help channel new growth areas for you to rise up the ladder or pivot your career. The choice of electives includes:

• Venture Capital Decision Making
• VC Due Diligence
• Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
• Leveraged Buyouts
• ESG Investing
• Blockchain in Business: Beyond the Hype

Note: Electives are subject to change.

Open-Enrollment Electives

A choice of one in-person or live online open-enrollment elective will enable you to focus on a specialization of your interest and help unravel the intricacies of your selected topic. Designed to enhance your understanding of the VC and PE sectors, it will help position you as a serious investment strategist aiming to take your organization to newer heights. A list of select current availabilities is below:

• Corporate Governance Program
• Driving Strategic Impact
• Financial Analysis and Valuation
• Quantitative Intuition™
• Real Estate Investing
• Value Investing

Note: Electives are subject to change.

On-Campus Networking Event | Three Days*

*Meet your cohort peers and faculty in person on the Columbia Business School campus in New York City during an optional three-day recognition ceremony and networking event. This event provides you an opportunity to network with your peers as well as professionals from other cohorts to create a lifelong community of global executives.