Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity

Introduction

This course focuses on understanding the broad range of debt and equity alternatives offered by capital providers around the world. The program examines the asset [fund] composition of venture capital [VC] firms, individual and pooled angel investors, hedge funds, and private equity firms. It will look at case studies for each of the four providers in terms of internal investment policies, financial positioning, expected time horizons, risk assessment, and management, as well as the types of ventures [start-up and emerging growth], larger companies, and product-service projects they invest in. This seminar will also look at several global networks for proactive deal flow and screening-evaluation process flow and referrals, including a diverse range of firms, funds, and individual investors from Silicon Valley to Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and online crowd-funding consortia. 

This course will highlight:

• The roles these four entities play in the global economy and investment infrastructure

• All types of Venture Capital [VC] firms and their typical investment target-profiles

• All types of angel investors and networks, and their typical investment target-profiles

• All types of hedge funds and their typical investment positions/target profiles

• All types of private equity firms and their typical investment positions/target profiles

• The role these four capital providers play in global enterprise development and growth

• The investment criteria, risk positions, and time-horizons required to approach such firms/funds

• Strategies for engaging such firms/funds and securing various types of capital provisions

Course Objectives of Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Review the asset portfolio mix of a typical VC firm, hedge fund, or private equity firm

• Analyze the risk positions and screening protocols for capital providers

• Differentiate the key targeted investment opportunities for these four entities

• Explain the primary financial intermediary roles these entities serve in the global economy

• Develop a review and analysis profile for any of these four capital providers

• Evaluate the pros and cons of early-stage individual [angel] investors vs. VCs or private equity

• Produce an executive summary profile for a contemporary VC firm, hedge fund, private equity firm, and/or angel network-association

• Select the best potential matches of these providers for companies, ventures, projects, or product-service development related to your own company and industry

Course Methodology of Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity

This course will use an inductive reasoning approach for introducing new terms-concepts-models-methods, followed with highly interactive case-discussion aimed at practical application. Small-group team case projects will apply capital provider concepts directly to the attendees’ firms/organizations/industries. The main focus is about being proactive in developing a strong understanding of capital providers that could provide strategic, value-added support for a wide range of potential future investment opportunities.

Organizational Impact of Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity

Attendees will have immediate return on investment [ROI] to their own firms/organizations by bringing models, concepts, terminology, perspectives, and capital provider network approaches directly to their workplace, colleagues, staff, and senior management.

The ROI is that attendees will be ready to demonstrate these tangible skills and competencies: 

• A strong understanding of VCs, hedge funds, private equity, and individual angel investors

• Creating selection criteria for approaching various capital providers relative to opportunities

• Being proactive in assessing risk positions and time horizons for different capital providers

• Being proactive in building investment portfolio selection criteria for new projects

• Readily understand different focus – industry – risk – timing profiles for new investments

• Be the point-person to establish dialogue-rapport with different capital providers

Personal Impact of Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity

Attendees will further their own professional development by: 

• Understanding key nuances, differences, and similarities among various capital providers

• Gaining a new managerial mindset about how best to approach potential investment partners

• Enhancing their use of objective screening-selection criteria for various capital sources

• Objectively assess any type of funding source and capital proposal [term sheet]

• Learning forward-thinking processes to identifying, approaching, and securing new capital

• Bringing new capital sources into the regular line-up of potential investment providers