This course counts toward the following majors: Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance.

This course is designed to develop, mainly through the real-world experiences of venture capitalists and private equity investors, an understanding of the key issues in private equity investing and creating long-term value in privately held companies. It is hoped that students will develop an appreciation of the kinds of judgments involved in entrepreneurial companies at various points in the risk-return continuum, from start-ups to leveraged buyouts to recapitalizations. All aspects of private equity investing are addressed including sourcing, qualifying and analyzing deals; negotiating, structuring and pricing; creating value; and realizing value through various kinds of exit strategies.

For more information, please go to: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/hochberg/htm/445info.html

Case Studies in Venture Investment (Formerly FINC-932-0) (FINC-471-0)

This course counts toward the following majors: Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance, Health Enterprise Management

This course is aimed at students who are considering a career in the entrepreneurial sector, including those who wish to start new ventures, join new and growing organizations, or to work in private equity, venture capital or business development.

The class is based on a series of cases that focus on the venture capital investment process, evaluation of business ventures and the subsequent management of such ventures. The primary perspective is that of the venture capitalist in assembling and evaluating information, preparing forecasts, assessing risks, developing and negotiating investment structure and terms, and deciding whether to invest. Cases also focus on management and financial problems and policy issues, and the relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. The secondary perspective is that of the entrepreneur and the techniques and skills employed in managing growing enterprises. The course will revolve around student discussion and analysis of real-life business plans, with participation of the involved venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.

Note: The course will consist of three lecture sessions and six to seven case sessions. Please note that case sessions will likely run 3.5-4 hours, whereas lecture sessions will be likely run shorter (the total academic hours will remain 30). Students will receive an exact schedule prior to the start of the quarter.

FINC-445 is a prerequisite for this course, but they may be taken concurrently.

For more information, please go to: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/hochberg/htm/932info.html.

Venture Lab (V-Lab) (FINC-915-0)

This course counts toward the following majors: Finance

This new course offers students an experiential learning opportunity in the venture capital industry. For the duration of the class term, each student will be placed with a venture capital firm and will be required to submit a project report (presentation) at the end of the quarter based on work the student completed for the firm throughout the academic quarter. The insights from this hands-on course will be most beneficial to students who have not had extensive experience in the venture capital space, but who would like to pursue a career in that field. More information can be found at: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/petersen/htm/heizer/venturelab/