“Startup investing has traditionally been a black box — this program shines light on the venture capital and angel investing ecosystem.”
— the program's faculty director Angela Lee

With hundreds of equity crowdfunding sites raising 3–4 billion dollars every year and the growing number of multi-billion dollar exits we are seeing in the news, the interest in generating outsized returns from startup investing has been continuously growing over the years.

Over the course of three days, the program provides an invaluable deep dive into both forms of startup financing — venture capital and angel investing — equipping current and aspiring startup investors with a process for evaluating and monitoring potential opportunities and the knowledge they need to lower risk and increase returns.

Participants go through the deal-flow process step by step to understand how to invest in startups. At the end of the program, participants receive an investor field guide they can use in real time to evaluate startups.

Please Contact Us

Please contact our Learning Solutions Specialists at +1 212-854-3395 for a personal conversation to learn more.

IMPACT

Participants gain a profound understanding of:

• Who the players are in early-stage investing and how to source best-in-class deal flow
• How to conduct diligence on a team, a business model, and a product
• The financial and governance terms that matter in a term sheet
• Startup valuation, venture math, and cap table watchouts
• What happens post investment and how to think about your investment portfolio strategy

Upon completion of this program, you will earn three days towards a Certificate with select alumni and tuition benefits. Learn more.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

PLEASE NOTE: The June iteration of the program will take place in a live, virtual setting. See the agenda.

The program is taught in a highly experiential manner. Participants learn the frameworks to drive investment decisions and then apply them to case examples. Next, learnings will be applied to real-world startups that are currently fundraising. Participants assess each company as if they were considering investing.

Participants also hear from a number of guest speakers, including leading venture capitalists and other experts in the ecosystem, to gain a varied perspective and assure they walk out of the program with a strong network of equally curious peers.

For a complete program schedule download the agenda.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

The Venture Capital: Investing in Early-Stage Startups program is designed for:

• Aspiring venture capitalists or angel investors who want to understand how investors evaluate startups
• Founders who want to understand how early-stage investors evaluate startups
• Individuals interested in the startup landscape who want to better understand its language and players

Note: This program is not intended for those who want to deep dive into a particular sector or who are interested in later stages of venture investing.

Columbia Business School alumni and up to four of their colleagues are eligible for a 25 percent tuition benefit for this program. More on the Alumni Tuition Benefit.

FACULTY

Angela Lee, Faculty Director
Professor of Professional Practice, Finance
Chief Innovation Officer and Faculty Director of the Lang Center for Entrepreneurship

Angela Lee is a professor of Professional Practice and the Chief Innovation Officer at Columbia Business School. She teaches venture capital (Foundations of VC, VC Seminar) and leadership (The Leader’s Voice) courses. She brings 20 years of innovation, strategy, and entrepreneurship experience to the classroom. She started her career in product management and then moved into strategy consulting at McKinsey.

Lee is passionate about entrepreneurship and has started several companies in the education sector. She herself is a startup investor and the founder of 37 Angels, an investing network that evaluates and invests in startups.

Lee has spoken at the White House and NASA and is a sought-after expert on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, and Fox Business. She was recognized by Crain’s as a Notable Women in Tech in 2019, by Inc. as one of 17 Inspiring Women to Watch in 2017, and by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 6 Innovative Women to Watch in 2015.

Along with Professor Lee, additional Columbia Business School faculty contribute to and teach in the program.