A program for professionals who plan to build a career in the private equity sector and venture capital, as well as considering the possibility of developing their own startups, including in the fintech industry
- Preparation for private equity and venture capital fund interviews
- Private equity portfolio management skills
- Analysis of legal aspects and preparation of transaction documentation
- Setting long-term career goals and objectives
- Regular consultations with a mentor
Target Audience:
- Current students, recent graduates with initial work experience who plan to pursue a career in international financial companies
- Employees of investment departments analyzing potential opportunities to expand their current investment portfolio
Course Schedule
Module 1
Introduction to Private Equity & Venture Capital. The place of PE/VC in the financial ecosystem. What is LP-GP, fund economics. Overview of the U.S. PE/VC market. Typical PE/VC career. The stages of the deal. Trends in the U.S. and the world.
Module 2
Overview of the main stages of a buy-side M&A or sell-side M&A transaction. Economics of SPAC deals. Analysis of recent US and international M&A and SPAC transactions.
Module 3
Private Equity transaction analysis. An overview of the main tasks performed in Private Equity. Principles of sector analysis. How to identify investment opportunities. Key principles of business analysis and investment analysis. Overview of due diligence process and types of due diligence. An overview of key internal materials (e.g. investment memorandum) and their structure.
Module 4
Private equity deals analysis / project portfolio analysis and management tools. Fund project portfolio (pipeline): basic investment criteria for selection of companies for investment and negotiation. Finding target companies: types and a brief overview of the main sources of information for finding deals. Overview of the investment process up to the point of entry into a company. Managing portfolio companies: communication techniques and controls.
Module 5
Legal aspects of private equity transactions. Overview of key transactional documents: NDA, Term Sheet, SPA, SHA. A breakdown of the key Term Sheet articles and the basic mechanisms (rights and obligations of the parties) involved in transactions.
Module 6
Unit Economics. The objectives and advantages of using the unit economy method. Customers: channels of attraction, user funnel and conversion. Cohort analysis. Key metrics for unit economics.
Module 7
Introduction to fintech. Description of the fintech industry, market segments and key players. History of fintech development: economic, technological and regulatory background.
Module 8
Main trends in the fintech sector. Trends in the fintech industry in the USA and globally. Analysis of the main segments. Major transactions and methodologies for assessing fintech companies. Specific features of financing companies in the fintech industry.
Module 9
Fintech in Investment Management. Technology and its impact on the investment management industry. The drivers of growth of the market. Major companies. Models of interaction with traditional players.
Module 10
Payments and Alternative Lending. History of payment industry. Drivers of non-cash payments growth. Description of the payment process. Overview of the alternative lending market. Business models of alternative lending platforms.
Module 11
Introduction to blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Blockchain technology: history of development, applications. Blockchain implementations in finance: what’s possible now, what will be possible in the near future. Cryptocurrencies as an asset class
During the whole course
- Homework and independent work
- Mentor program with the School of Finance speakers
- Career consulting
- Preparing for selection for internships and applying for open positions
- Team case studies
- Preparatory interviews
Exam
Written exam covering theoretical and practical aspects of the course. Oral interviews on course topics with program speakers.