The Startup and Venture Capital Experience

Catalog description

This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the startup ecosystem from the critical legal and young venture capitalist perspectives. We will cover corporate structures, boards of directors, startup capitalization and ownership structure, preferred stock financing (including in-depth analysis of economic and control terms), employee stock options, convertible debt and SAFE notes, fundraising legal frameworks, startup founder evaluation and relationships, the venture capital due diligence process (both qualitative and quantitative), the internal deal approval and selling process (particularly for the young venture capitalist), post investment portfolio company support, and navigating follow-on investment opportunities. Students who take this course are encouraged to enroll in HADM 4195 (also taught by Professor Shulman), which is a 3.5-day NYC VC Trek early in the spring semester.