The videos below are available to Chicago Booth students and alumni pursuing careers in private equity and venture capital. In order to view the videos, you will need to login with your CNET credentials. The Polsky Center’s Investors-in-Residence have delivered the content through workshops and information sessions.
Trends vs Fads in Private Equity
How do you distinguish lasting investment themes from short-term fads? From veterinary and dental practices to asset-light firms like insurance and wealth management, private equity has shifted focus over time. Join Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Duane Jackson, founder and managing partner of Author Capital, to explore emerging trends, past missteps, and how to strengthen your investment thesis.
Post-Transaction Management
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, cofounder and managing partner, Valeo Ventures leads a panel discussion on post-transaction management. Speakers Bo Shi, MBA ‘19, VP at Sandbox Industries, and Jyothi Vallurupalli, investor at Lightbank, will join for a panel about the work that VC firms do after deals are closed.
Success and Failure in One’s Life and Career
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, leads a workshop to discuss special topics in EQ. Tim explains a road map to success that helps you define your own version of success with an emphasis on the importance of an individual’s character and emotional intelligence.
Strategies for Due Diligence and How to Close a Deal
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, cofounder and managing partner, Valeo Ventures, leads a hands-on workshop exploring key strategies for conducting thorough due diligence. This session will cover best practices for evaluating potential investments, identifying risks, and ensuring informed decision-making throughout the acquisition process. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or operator, this workshop will provide valuable insights to help you confidently assess business opportunities.
Value Creation in Uncertain Times
Join Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Duane Jackson, founder and managing partner of Author Capital, for a discussion that explores how private equity can create value in uncertain times.“Draw down your revolvers and batten down the hatches!” is the advice many savvy PE investors offer portfolio companies in a downturn. Savvy PE investors, however, also go looking for opportunities. Downturns offer opportunities for accretive M&A—but for PE backed companies, they can also drive long-term value through operational best practices.
From Associate to Partner — The Neuroscience Behind Being an Effective Leader
Join the Polsky Center’s Investor-in-Residence and organizational psychologist, Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, for an interactive workshop to discuss the transition of associate to partner and the neuroscience behind being an effective leader. Tim delves into the importance of self and social knowledge and how these skills support career growth.
How to Build a Strong Investment Thesis
Hosted by Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Duane Jackson, founder and managing partner of Author Capital, this workshop focused on building a strong investment thesis. Topics include the foundations of an investment thesis, sources to build and refine a thesis, and actionable outputs. This workshop will also discuss how a team may approach developing a proposal and thesis as it relates to the Sterling Partners Investment Thesis Challenge (SPITC).
PE Due Diligence
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, for a workshop on due diligence on PE funds for employment or investment. This workshop will explore how one diligences the merits of a partnership for employment as well as investment purposes.
PE Landscape for Career Changers
If you are pursuing PE as a career changer, join the Polsky Center and Career Services for a workshop featuring Chris McGowan, Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence focused on private equity and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship Chicago Booth. Chris will discuss the process of interviewing for roles in private equity as a career changer. He will explore how best to present your background, your career interests, and your story when making the transition into PE. Even if you don’t have direct experience in PE, you can still demonstrate transferable skills and talk about steps you have taken to make the transition.
VC Interview Prep
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, cofounder and managing partner, Valeo Ventures, covers the process of interviewing and building out your thesis and story for roles in venture capital. She explores how best to present your background, your career interests, and your narrative when applying for internships and full-time roles in venture capital.
Dissecting the PE Industry
Hosted by Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, this workshop will introduce you to a multitude of careers that fall within the PE industry and also give you a brief description of the related skills that different roles require, some pros and cons of different career paths, and ways to pursue some of these positions.
Secrets to Building Effective Slide Decks
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, will cover ways to build a presentation that communicates your ideas and inspires your audience. This workshop will help you understand the structure of a “winning” slide deck that helps tell a compelling story. This workshop will be particularly helpful for students participating in the Private Equity Case Competition (PECC).
Intro to Corporate Venture Capital
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, cofounder and managing partner, Valeo Ventures provides an introduction to Corporate Venture Capital and explores the goals of CVC organizations, how to structure CVC organizations, how to measure success in CVC, and how to compare CVC to traditional VC.
Sourcing and Thematic Investing
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Dipa Mehta, MBA ’12, cofounder and managing partner, Valeo Ventures moderates a discussion on sourcing and thematic investing. Dipa will be joined by panelists Kelly Carlquist, Vice President for Sandbox Healthcare, and Bailey Moore, Co-founder & Managing Director of Wintrust Ventures.
Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPACs) Overview
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Duane Jackson, founder and managing partner of Author Capital, hosts an interactive discussion around SPACs. Duane explores questions on conducting due diligence and evaluating whether to buy shares through SPACs. As well as the typical stage of a company acquired by a SPAC and what is the typical minimum size company PE firms using SPACs as an exit vehicle with their portfolio companies.
On Success and Failure: Thoughts on the Business of Life
Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Tim Kelly, MBA ’00, leads an interactive workshop on the importance of defining what success and failure means as one prepares for a career in business, finance, entrepreneurship, and the business of life.
Early Stage PE Investing
Former Polsky Center Investor-in-Residence Ken O’Keefe, along with guests Ashley Hartman, managing partner at Bluestein Ventures and Justin Sunshine, managing director at General Atlantic, discuss early stage PE investing.