The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Navigate the entire deal flow process — from sourcing through to exit
Download Brochure
February 6, 2025
6 weeks, online
4–6 hours per week
Participants report that enrolling in a program with colleagues fosters collaborative learning and amplifies their impact.
Please provide your details to get more information about the group-enrollment pricing.
The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events SpecialistAI, biotech, and other emerging technologies are creating exciting new opportunities in venture capital. However, successfully navigating deal flow is crucial to sourcing and executing on opportunities.
The Foundations in Venture Capital (Online) program is designed for mid-to-senior finance professionals seeking to enter the field. Based on lessons garnered from 20,000 pitches and 20 years of experience in innovation and entrepreneurship, Angela Lee distills the venture capital landscape into a convenient six-week learning journey.
You will not only learn to evaluate early-stage investment opportunities, conduct due diligence, and negotiate financial terms; you will also acquire essential portfolio management and networking strategies. Together these skills will prepare you to successfully raise venture capital and embark on a career that is professionally, personally, and financially rewarding.
VC investors expect investment in tech startups to increase over the next 12 months.
Is the projection total capital raised in the worldwide venture capital market in 2024.
Investors believe gen AI will create a new wave of tech unicorns in the next 5 years.
The Foundations of Venture Capital (Online) program will enable you to:
Whether your endgame is investing in the right high-growth startup or exploring your role in the VC ecosystem, you will examine the fundamentals of the venture capital landscape. You will get to know the players and their roles and examine the people and organizations in your network.
Unpack the due diligence process, a crucial checkpoint in determining whether a startup is aligned with your investing goals. This process shines a light on the inner workings of a startup as well as the market potential for its products and services. The four Ps model serves as a trusted framework for evaluating the investment potential of any startup.
Enter into the negotiation phase of the deal flow process by reviewing the deal structure, financial terms, and governance terms. Activities and resources are designed to deepen your understanding of what really matters in a term sheet.
Review various methodologies and the necessary components to determine a startup’s value. This module delves deeper into the final "P" in the diligence process — price — and you will hone your skills through several Excel demonstrations.
Once an investment is made, there is still a tremendous opportunity to support the startup. Understand the actions that can add value, build trust, and demonstrate integrity. In addition, you will study general industry returns and calculate returns based on two methods: cash-on-cash multiple and internal rate of return (IRR).
Lee shares her insights on the lessons learned from roughly 20,000 pitches that she and her organization, 37 Angels, have been on the receiving end of. You will explore examples that illustrate what to look for when researching new startups as well as advice on how to develop your personal networking plan and how to get started with a career in the venture capital industry.
Whether your endgame is investing in the right high-growth startup or exploring your role in the VC ecosystem, you will examine the fundamentals of the venture capital landscape. You will get to know the players and their roles and examine the people and organizations in your network.
Review various methodologies and the necessary components to determine a startup’s value. This module delves deeper into the final "P" in the diligence process — price — and you will hone your skills through several Excel demonstrations.
Unpack the due diligence process, a crucial checkpoint in determining whether a startup is aligned with your investing goals. This process shines a light on the inner workings of a startup as well as the market potential for its products and services. The four Ps model serves as a trusted framework for evaluating the investment potential of any startup.
Once an investment is made, there is still a tremendous opportunity to support the startup. Understand the actions that can add value, build trust, and demonstrate integrity. In addition, you will study general industry returns and calculate returns based on two methods: cash-on-cash multiple and internal rate of return (IRR).
Enter into the negotiation phase of the deal flow process by reviewing the deal structure, financial terms, and governance terms. Activities and resources are designed to deepen your understanding of what really matters in a term sheet.
Lee shares her insights on the lessons learned from roughly 20,000 pitches that she and her organization, 37 Angels, have been on the receiving end of. You will explore examples that illustrate what to look for when researching new startups as well as advice on how to develop your personal networking plan and how to get started with a career in the venture capital industry.
World-Renowned Faculty
Learn from accomplished faculty, and industry experts whose diverse backgrounds encompass a broad range of disciplines
Peer Interaction
Stimulating discussions with like-minded global peers expand your professional network and build a supportive community
Case Studies
Through exploratory sessions, examine practical examples and find innovative solutions to strategic challenges
Engaging Assignments and Activities
Hone business acumen and executive skills with try-it activities that help you redefine your potential
Capstone Project
Engage in a multifaceted experience where you apply program learnings to a real-world case
As will be discussed in the program, accelerators sponsor Demo Days, where they showcase their participating organizations for investors (in some cases, thousands of investors).
As part of the capstone experience, participants will review the recording of an actual Demo Day. Based on the information presented by the startups, participants will review and assess two of these startups in order to arrive at an initial investment assessment.
Participants will delve into how to determine the target customer for particular green juice brands and what questions to ask when sizing the market.
By assessing the meal kit brand landscape, participants will assess market segmentation and identify direct and indirect competitors.
Participants will identify what domain expertise means, what to look for when assessing it, and why it is important when evaluating a founding team.
Past participants of the Foundations of Venture Capital (Online) program come from diverse backgrounds, industries, and experiences.
Average years of work experience:
Top industries:
Top functions:
Top countries:
Note: Data from across previous cohorts
Co-founder and co-managing partner of Greycroft, a seed-to-growth VC organization that manages $2 billion in funds
A general partner at SemperVirens Venture Capital, an early-stage fund focused on organizations transforming the future of work
— Rafael Barroso, Engineering Manager, Apple
— Michael Dooijes, Startup Liaison, Consulate General of the Netherlands
— Noel Navarro, Principal, MN Advisory Services, LLC
— Luis Nieto, Board Member, Ubbitt
Angela Lee
Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia Business School
Angela Lee is an award-winning professor and former Chief Innovation Officer at Columbia Business School, where she teaches venture capital and leadership programs. Angela started her career in product management and then moved to consulting at McKinsey & Company. She founded 4 startups and is also the founder of 37 Angels, an investing network that has evaluated over 20,000 startups and invested in 90+ startups. She also serves as a venture partner at Fresco Capital, an early-stage venture fund that focuses on the future of work, digital health, and sustainability.
She was awarded the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence at Columbia Business School in 2020 and won the Singhvi Prize for Scholarship in the Classroom in 2022.
Angela has spoken at the White House and NASA and is an expert in teaching online and making learning scalable. She is a sought-after expert on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, and Fox Business. She was also recognized by Inc. as one of the 17 Inspiring Women to Watch, by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 6 Innovative Women to Watch, and by Crain’s as a Notable Women in Tech.
Upon completion of the Foundations of Venture Capital (Online) program, you will receive a certificate of participation from Columbia Business School Executive Education. This certificate also awards two credits towards the Certificate in Business Excellence, which grants select alumni and tuition benefits. Learn More
Download BrochureYour digitally verified certificate will be issued in your legal name and emailed to you, at no additional cost, upon completion of the program, including all modules of the program (online, in person, or live online, inter-module). All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Columbia Business School Executive Education.
After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow-up with you very shortly.
Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page, as well as in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at the ID mentioned above.
Note that, unless otherwise stated on the program web page, all programs are taught in English and proficiency in English is required.
More than 50 percent of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but, generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry, and geography — leading to a very rich peer learning and networking experience.
Check back to this program web page or email us to inquire if future program dates or the timeline for future offerings have been confirmed yet.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities including:
The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on program activities.
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.
A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the program. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.
This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please email us if you need further clarification on any specific program requirements.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, resume, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.
You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access program content from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any livestream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you may view them later.
Yes, you can register up until seven days past the published start date of the program without missing any of the core program material or learnings.
The program fee is noted at the top of this program web page and usually referenced in the program brochure as well.
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in the program currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your program advisor, or email us for details.
Yes! Please email us with the details of the program you are interested in, and we will assist you.
Please email us your invoicing requirements and the specific program you’re interested in enrolling in.
Yes, the flexible payment option allows a participant to pay the program fee in installments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.
Please connect with us via email for assistance.
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
Program fees for Emeritus programs with Columbia Business School Executive Education may not be paid for with Title IV financial aid funds. Participants may be able to pay the program fee with funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits. Participants must contact the Columbia University’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs to determine benefit eligibility.
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Flexible payment options available.