FIE436 Venture Capital, Private Equity and IPO's

• Topics

  After completing this course, students will understand valuation methods and deal structures for both VC and LBO investments.

  Valuation methods in PE differ substantially from traditional methods used in Corporate Finance as they have to deal with higher uncertainty and risk. Hence the first part of the course will focus on this aspect. Another difference to other areas of corporate finance is that contracts between financiers and firms/entrepreneurs play a much larger role and are relevant for firm valuation. Students learn to analyse these contracts both qualitatively and quantitatively. The course also focuses on developing the student's formal modelling skills, in particular financial statement modelling.

  Students will also learn about performance measurement and performance evaluation of VC and PC funds in order to make sensible investment decisions. The specific nature of Private Equity makes performance measure much more difficult than in cases of Public Equity and force students to rethink their approach to performance management. We also cover specific issues in fund raising and performance measurement and students will be exposed to the current research frontier during the course.

  The course will also provide students with a first understanding of how IPOs and IPO markets work.

   

  The course is formally structured into four modules:

  1. Introduction to Private Equity
  2. Section - Valuation, Deal Structures and Exits in Venture Capital and Buyouts
  3. Section - IPOs
  4. Section - Fund Management and Fund Performance Evaluation

• Learning outcome

  Give students a basic understanding of the complete Venture Capital/Private Equity Cycle from raising funds to investing and harvesting the investment both in Europe and the US.

  Knowledge - The candidate...

  • has advanced knowledge within Venture Capital, Private Equity and Initial Public Offerings;
  • has thorough knowledge of the scholarly theories and methods in Corporate Finance and Asset Pricing related to Venture Capital, Private Equity and Initial Public Offerings;
  • can apply this knowledge to new areas within the above mentioned topics.

  Skills - The candidate...

  • can analyze and deal critically with various deal structures in Venture Capital and Private Equity;
  • understands the principles listing firms on exchanges;
  • is able to conduct a valuation of a start-up or levered buyout deal and is able to explain the differences to traditional valuation methods and is able to produce consistent pro-forma statements;
  • Is able to value advanced financial instruments used in Venture Capital Financing;
  • Is able to conduct a liquidity analysis in buyouts;
  • is able to understand the structure and impact of contracts and specific contractual clauses on valuations;
  • understands the issues in performance measurement in the Private Equity industry and is able to deal critically with the;
  • is able to understand the steps involved in taking a firm public and able to understand the scholarly issues in this field.
  • can understand the latest research in this area.

  Competence - The candidate...

  • can apply his/her knowledge and skills in new areas in order to carry out advanced assignments and projects;
  • can identify relevant ethical dilemmas in data collection and carry out his/her research with scholarly integrity.

• Teaching

  Teaching will consist out of lectures (50%) and cases (50%). The course will cover about 7 cases. Some cases will be co-taught with guest lecturers. Students are expected to prepare each case for the class discussion by writing a five page hand-in. All cases have to be handed in, but only three of the cases will be graded. Each hand-in will consist of a five-page report about the case.

• Required prerequisites

  Corporate Finance at the Master's level and a basic understanding of Statistics and Econometrics.

• Requirements for course approval

  Hand-ins: Students will be required to work in groups of up to 3 students. Case solutions have to be handed in prior to each case being taught.

  Mandatory Attendance: This is a case course and builds on active participation by students. Hence the course requires students to be present in the classroom during teaching.

• Assessment

  The final grade is the weighted average of three cases (25% each) and oral participation during the course (25%). Grades A-F.

  Students are expected to prepare each case for the class discussion by writing a five page hand-in. Cases have to be handed in before the case in question is taught in class. All cases have to be handed in, but only three of the cases will be graded. Students will be informed whether a case is graded after they have handed in the case in class. Students can work in groups of up to three students.

  The sub-grades for the three cases and the oral presentation will be published on Studentweb, but on the grade transcript and the diplomas there will only be one total grade stated. The grades for the three cases will be published on Studentweb once all cases are completed, and the right to appeal against the grades commences at this moment.

  The examination can only be written in English. All parts have to be taken in the same semester. Since this is a case-based course with several cases reappearing year after year, students can take the course only one time. It is possible to retake the course only if a student fails.

• Grading Scale

  A - F

• Literature

  There is no textbook. Cases will be made available via a course pack.

  • Josh Lerner, Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon, "Venture Capital and Private Equity and the Financing of Entrepreneurship". Wiley, 2012 - Best textbook but at a much lower technical level than what we will do in the course.
  • Metrick - "Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation" for the first third of the course.
  • Jenkinson and Ljungvist - "Going Public: The Theory and Evidence on How Companies Raise Equity Finance" - Second Revised Edition.
  • Brealey, Myers and Allen - "Corporate Finance" - any recent edition OR
  • Berk and DeMarzo, "Corporate Finance", any recent edition.
  • Lerner - "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams"