FI 373 - Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance

Venture capital has become an attractive asset class, offering investment diversification and opportunity to many investors and entrepreneurs. This course will equip you with fundamental knowledge to embark on a financial services career, within the niche Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) investments sector, sometimes aka Alternative Investments space. Over the last thirty-five years, the VC financing has grown significantly (more than 500 European tech companies crossed $1 billion milestone) and now the is considered a major contributor to the region’s economic growth. This course gives the perspective of investor and investee, and it will equip you with a good understanding of facets of the venture capital and private equity industry, its key players, and how investment decisions are taken and monitored in a complex, fast-paced environment. You’ll learn about different financing markets, instruments, and institutions; examine strategies, valuation methods and analysis techniques. You’ll be guided through the VC/PE investment cycles and the life of their funds. 

The course is ideal also for those students that consider themselves as “aspiring entrepreneurs” and that want to understand how to secure funding for their business ideas. They will receive a guide to secure funding using the many financing options available to get new ventures funded. The presentation of real-word case studies and the usage of techniques coming from major players belonging to private equity world will further enhance the link with the best practices observable in the market.