Venture Capital Executive Program

Guided by Berkeley Haas faculty member and former entrepreneur and venture capitalist Jerry Engel, the Venture Capital Executive Program gives participants unprecedented access to learn from the inside out. Over five days, you will get a comprehensive overview of the venture capital investing cycle and attend panel discussions from over 20+ top Venture Capital investors from the world's premier innovative cluster: Silicon Valley.

Understand the Venture Capital Investing Cycle

Get a comprehensive overview of the venture capital investing cycle from opportunity assessment, valuation, deal structuring and corporate governance to harvesting investments.

Explore the Inside Dynamics of Venture Capital Funds

Learn how VCs are motivated, how venture capital reward systems work, and understand current industry perspectives on fast-changing, emerging opportunities.

Understand What Constitutes a VC Quality Deal

Learn how to assess opportunities like a VC, how to identify a great startup with high probability of success, and how to vet and select the best deals.

Gain Valuable Practical Skills and Techniques

Acquire powerful valuation techniques, learn how to structure a term sheet, and understand how entrepreneurs can optimize their returns.

Gain Access to a Powerful Industry Network

Become part of a cohort of professionals who are the connectors and innovators in the industry.

PROGRAM TOPICS

The Venture Capital Executive program curriculum covers the following topics:

TOPIC 1 | The Silicon Valley Venture Capital Economy

• Creating a vibrant innovation ecosystem
• The dynamics of innovation clusters and what makes them work
• Key aspects of the Silicon Valley innovation cluster

TOPIC 2 | Innovation Through New Venture Creation

• Bridging the gap between technology/opportunity and value
• The entrepreneurial process; major trends and the entrepreneur’s role in driving the process
• The key skills of the successful entrepreneur and venture capital collaborator
• Productive entrepreneurship strategies

TOPIC 3 | The VC Model: The Professional Entrepreneur

• Key attributes of “true” “professional” entrepreneurs
• World views of innovation in large corporations and startups
• The stages of an entrepreneurial venture through technology/product, marketing and management
• The importance of mentorship, governance and teamwork to an entrepreneur
• The key mechanisms that make Venture Capital + Entrepreneurship work
• Exploring your own criteria for opportunity preference and ability to influence others

TOPIC 4 | Opportunity Recognition, Capture, and the Business Model

• Frameworks and investment/risk criteria for identifying strong opportunities
• The key elements of the ideal startup
• Methods to quickly search for new ideas, test hypotheses and reframe opportunities to establish a minimum viable product
• Capturing value from your deal flow
• Strategies and tactics for creating proprietary optionality, creating space and time for preliminary due diligence before substantial and irrevocable financial commitments are required
• Making quick decisions on imperfect information

TOPIC 5 | Deal Structure, Terms, and Due Diligence

• Basic elements of valuing and structuring VC financing
• Evaluating a deal from the perspective of the company and the investors

TOPIC 6 | Corporate Strategy and Financing

• Participating in venture capital financing
• The challenges and opportunities of corporate venture investors
• How closed and open innovation paradigms work
• Using the Open Innovation Toolkit to analyze opportunities in the context of a corporation