Venture Capital Initiative

Venture Capital Initiative - Courses - Experiential Courses

Experiential Courses

Darden offers a collection of courses designed to help students prepare for their venture capital journeys. During the first year, students engage with the core curriculum and learn the fundamentals of business through rich case study discussions. After completing the core curriculum, students have the opportunity to take core electives, experiential learning courses, and other related courses in venture capital. The Fall Venture Capital Learning Series is open to all students, regardless of where they are in their MBA journey. The Venture Capital Learning series is highly recommended for first-years interested in building their venture capital skillset and knowledge base prior to their summer internship interviews.

Experiential Courses

  • DUE DILIGENCE IN SEED FUNDS

    Faculty

    bob Robert (Bob) J. Creeden, Managing Director of UVA Seed Fund & New Ventures
    elena Elena Loutskina, Professor of Business Administration, Peter M. Grant II Bicentennial Foundation Chair in Business Administration and Academic Director of Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management

    Course Description

    This is an applied course that exposes students to the full cycle of the seed-fund investment decision process. Students work closely with UVA Seed Fund investing partners conducting due diligence of startups, structuring deal terms and pitching to the fund investment committee. In this year-long course, students get an opportunity to interact with a large number of founders, startups and investment professionals. The course enrollments are small (10-12 students) and is based on application process that is administered twice a year (early August for the fall semester, and early January for the Spring semester)

    What Students Say

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  • VENTURE VELOCITY

    Faculty

    jim Jim Zuffoletti, Adjunct Faculty

    Course Description

    Creating a venture can be a lonely undertaking, leaving the Entrepreneur asking, “What to do Next?” We’re going to turn venturing into a team sport and support each other as each student team builds their ventures towards viability as a side gig or a full time work. We will use the class to further develop entrepreneurial fundamentals like partnering, customer sales, and managing your affordable loss. The cadence is two-week sprints alternating customized milestones and work on deliverables common to the class which will contribute directly to your venture. We draw extensively on Saras Sarasvathy’ s Effectuation theory methodology to guide action and ensure that progress doesn’t stall even if the end point is a decision to move on from the venture at the end of the class.

    Course Objectives

    If you care more about your grade than your venture, VV probably is not for you. But if you care about your venture and are coachable and willing to see your venture through change, if necessary, your grade will be fine.

    • Breakthrough a difficult go to market challenge
    • Find go-to market fit 
    • Get to the customer as a partner
    • Secure funding 
    • Make a decision that changes the course of your venture and your life