FI 373 - Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance

Venture capital investments is a popular asset class among risk-taking investors worldwide. It has been known for offering investment diversification in multi-assets portfolios for investors and entrepreneurs alike. Over the last thirty-five years, Venture Capital 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 module will equip you with fundamental knowledge across Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) investments and enable you to embark on a career in this sector, aka the Alternative Investments space. This course gives the perspective of investors and investees, and it will equip you with understanding the 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 VC/PE investment cycles, and the life cycle of their funds.

The course is ideal for students who are keen to gain fundamental knowledge around VC and PE fund management, to learn about entrepreneurship and start-ups, and want to understand the process to secure funding for start-up business ideas using different financing options available to get new ventures started. The in-class activities around real-word cases and the usage of techniques coming from major players belonging to private equity world will further enhance the knowledge with the best practices observable in the market.