Alex Schneider
Adjunct Lecturer in Entrepreneurship
Track Lead in the Zell Fellows Program: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)
Alex Schneider is an Adjunct Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Management where he is focused primarily on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (“ETA”), search funds and private equity. He also serves as the program director for the ETA track of the Zell Fellows Program
Outside of Kellogg, Alex is a co-founder and a managing partner of Clover Capital Partners, an independent sponsor private equity firm located in Evanston that specializes in acquiring small businesses with a focus on food and beverage manufacturing. He is also a co-founder and managing partner of Clover Vitality, a growth equity fund with a focus on investing in emerging consumer products brands. In addition to his strategic investments in food and beverage, Alex personally invests in startups, search funds and other forms of entrepreneurial acquisition. Prior to Clover, Alex spent 10 years in traditional private equity, most recently with Chicago-Based Keystone Capital and began his career in finance with JPMorgan as an investment banking professional. Alex graduated from the Honors Program in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences at Northwestern University and received his MBA from The Kellogg School of Management.
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M.B.A., 2006, Management & Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
B.A., 1999, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Sociology, Northwestern University -
Partner, Clover Capital Partners LLC, 2011-present
Vice President, Keystone Capital, Inc., 2003-2010
Associate, Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, Inc., 2001-2003
Investment Banking Analyst, J. P. Morgan Chase & Co., 1999-2001
President and Chief Operating Officer, Student Solutions, Inc., 1996-1999
Acquisition & Management of a Small Business (ENTR-910-0)
This course equips students with the foundational skills necessary to evaluate and acquire small companies and provides tools and techniques for leading a small to mid-sized business ("SMB"). It builds upon the foundational concepts covered in the Entrepreneurship through Acquisition ("ETA") class (ENTR 905-5). The course is designed for students interested in acquiring or running an SMB, students pursuing operational or M&A-focused roles within private equity portfolio companies and family businesses, or students who expect to work in investment banking or consulting for mid-sized companies. By the end of this course, students should feel not just prepared, but well-equipped and competent to take on these roles, having covered all the necessary aspects of SMB management and acquisition. It is strongly recommended that students interested in taking this class possess a foundation in accounting and finance through prior coursework or relevant experience in private equity, investment banking, management consulting, or general management.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ENTR-905-5)
There are many paths to entrepreneurship, and one of those paths is through the acquisition of an existing company. This course will highlight aspects of strategy, finance, organizational behavior, marketing and other business disciplines through the context of acquiring and owning a small business. The course will outline pathways to entrepreneurship through acquisition, including search fund, independent sponsor, or through a CEO-in-Training program at a PE firm or a family business. The end goal is ownership of a company in the near future. The course is organized into sections that summarize the experience of entrepreneurs through distinct phases, including raising capital, the search process and deal structure. These classes augment existing FINC courses. Core focus points of the course include due diligence of a particular business, the post-closing transition process and how to create stakeholder value. The course uses several case studies as well as guest speakers who have completed search funds and acquired companies, investors and search fund experts.
Field Study (ENTR-498-5)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.
Field Study (ENTR-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.
