FM414E      Half Unit
Private Equity, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance

This information is for the 2023/24 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Ashwini Agrawal and Dr Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in Finance (full-time) and MSc in Finance (part-time). This course is not available as an outside option.

This course is not capped, any eligible student that requests a place will be given one.

Pre-requisites

Students must have completed FM422/FM422E Corporate Finance and FM423/FM423E Asset Markets.

This course cannot be combined with FM414 or FM476.

Course content

  • Evaluating and executing Private Equity Deals
  • Business Plans, Venture Capital, and Entrepreneurial Finance
  • Private Equity as an asset class and the private equity landscape



The course provides a study of the theoretical frameworks and practical problems that arise in private equity (PE). The course content will be roughly split between venture capital/entrepreneurial financing and leveraged debt/buyout transactions. We will study how private equity funds are raised and structured. We will then examine how PE capital is deployed for investments in various types of firms, such as start-ups, growth firms, and companies facing financial distress. Finally, we will study how private equity investors exit their investments. The course will also cover the various types of financial instruments used in private equity, and we will provide frameworks to evaluate the short and long-run performance of private equity as an asset class.

Teaching

30 hours of seminars in the AT.

This course is taught in the interactive lecturing format. There is no distinction between lectures and classes/seminars; there are “sessions” only, and the pedagogical approach in each session is interactive.

Formative coursework

Each week there will typically be a formative or summative case study assignment.

Indicative reading

Ulf Axelson, Tim Jenkinson, Per Strömberg, and Michael S. Weisbach. Leverage and Pricing in Buyouts: An Empirical Analysis. August 28, 2007; Steven N. Kaplan and Per Strömberg. Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity, Social Science Research Network, June 2008; Cendrowski, Harry. Private Equity: Governance and Operations Assessment. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. 2008; Lerner, Joshua. Venture Capital and Private Equity: A Casebook. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 2000; Acharya V V; Franks J R & Servaes H (2007) "Private Equity: Boom and Bust?" Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 19(4) , Fall 2007, 44-53.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%) in the AT.

Key facts

Department: Finance

Total students 2022/23: 21

Average class size 2022/23: 21

Controlled access 2022/23: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Team working
  • Communication
  • Application of numeracy skills
  • Commercial awareness