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On campus program

Venture Capital Asset Management

Navigate the venture capital landscape with confidence

On campus program

Venture Capital Asset Management

Navigate the venture capital landscape with confidence

Location

On campus

Length

4 days

Fee

CHF 7,900

Next program starts

08 May 2025

Gain the confidence to make smart investment decisions in venture capital

Venture capital is crucial to a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem – but the path to becoming a successful venture capitalist, or investor in VC (a limited partner), is often long and uncertain. Traditionally, this path involves a lengthy apprenticeship, potential losses for limited partners, and navigating at least one business cycle.

IMD’s Venture Capital Asset Management program is designed to accelerate your journey by providing the practical tools and insights needed to navigate the risks and opportunities of venture capital investing.

Through a unique learning journey, blending theory and practical application, you will deepen your understanding of the art of smart investment decisions. The program features two days of research and practitioner-driven learning, followed by a two-day live, competitive simulation that replicates a 10-year fund lifecycle, allowing you to apply your skills in real-world scenarios. Learn from seasoned academics and professionals in the field, partners in the industry and a rich network of peers.

Identify investment opportunities

Learn what it takes to invest in venture assets, how to evaluate risks and identify the right investment opportunities.

Manage sustainable portfolios

Gain the right tools and strategies for launching and managing a dynamic and sustainable portfolio.

Develop exit strategies

Learn how to engineer exits to get the highest return for your fund and your investors.

Engage in a hands-on simulation

Join a competitive, state-of-the-art simulation where you will compete with your peers.

Join a growing community

Become part of a peer network of practitioners and leaders in this space.

Is this program for you?

The program is ideal for individuals within the venture capital ecosystem who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of venture investing and venture asset management – including pension funds, bankers, insurers, business lawyers, corporate venture capitalists, family offices, angel investors, asset managers, entrepreneurs and emerging venture capitalists.

Benefit from a complimentary profile assessment to see if this is the right program for you.

Assess your profile

An excellent program that covers a lot. The speakers and practitioners were great. I really enjoyed the experience and the people I met. I’ve already recommended it to a colleague.

A fantastic line-up from start to finish! I very much enjoyed the program and the engaging combination of expert insights, peer exchange, and actionable frameworks.

This program changed my perspective. Understanding the various stakeholders’ objectives and interests is very helpful for interacting with venture capitalists.

The program, speakers and participants were all great. I’m glad I was able to be part of it.

The program was outstanding and the quality of the speakers was very high. I learned a lot and went away with great energy.

Discover the program

“Winning, making money is a better alternative than just protecting against losses.” Hear from our Program Director, Jim Pulcrano, and past participants about their learning experience.

Kelly Carroll “It provided a very broad spectrum of topics and thought provoking material for me to become a better investor in the future.”

Martin Iffert “It is one of the few outstanding programs in the world.”

Simon Rolland “The Venture Asset Management program at IMD is eye opening.”

Entrepreneurs move society forward. Without them, it stagnates. We need entrepreneurs to do big, bold things that help solve the world’s problems. And we need the VCs who support them financially. VCs’ access to capital typically comes from people and organizations that don’t understand the world of venturing, or what drives entrepreneurs. Helping these organizations is the goal of this research project and the programs it spawns.

Read more

Jim Pulcrano Program Director

There is enough innovation and creativity in Switzerland and Europe to compete with other countries in terms of quality of start-ups. Where we lag behind is in the area of funding capabilities. European risk capital is scarcer, there is less risk taking, and we hope through this project to promote venture capital as a new asset class in Europe.

Michel Demaré Chairman of IMD’s Foundation and Supervisory boards and start-up investor

Your learning journey

Day 1: Setting the stage

Introduction to venture capital asset management

Understanding perspectives: pension funds

Navigating legal frameworks

Evaluating opportunities

Valuation techniques

Strategic decision-making tools

Incorporating ESG

Day 2: Creating value in venture capital

Understanding market cycles

Startup investment strategies

Testing your valuation skills and understanding our investing biases

Doing corporate venture capital to create value

Navigating the journey to success

Learning debrief

Day 3: Hands-on simulation, part 1

Introduction to portfolio fund management

Navigating the 10-15 year fund lifecycle

Strategies for venture capital funds

Crafting your investment strategy

Fundraising from limited partners as a professional sales process

Mastering deal negotiation

Constructing and managing your portfolio

Engaging effectively with limited partners

Day 4: Hands-on simulation, part 2

Limited partner reporting

Co-investing and networking building

Designing your value creation playbook

Planning your exit strategy

Assessing fund performance

Evaluating team performance

Closing thoughts

Jim Pulcrano

Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management

Jim Pulcrano is Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management. He has extensive expertise in entrepreneurship, particularly startup culture, strategy, customer centricity, marketing, and disruption. A former Executive Director at IMD, Pulcrano runs the annual IMD Startup Competition and teaches entrepreneurship courses for Innosuisse, th…

Karl Schmedders

Professor of Finance

Karl Schmedders is Professor of Finance. His research and teaching focuses on sustainability and the economics of climate change. He is therefore able to provide key insights on the transition risk arising from the shift to a greener economy and help companies face up to the challenges of potential asset degradation and increasing carbon prices. …

Chris Rangen

Strategy Advisor

Chris Rangen is a trusted advisor to venture funds, fund-of-funds, VC ecosystems and governments globally. He has advised 250+ funds and runs multiple global GP Accelerators. He is visiting faculty at 12 business schools teaching VC, entrepreneurship, and strategy. He is also chairman of Link Capital (Norway).

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Next start & fee

Length: 4 days

Dates

8 May – 11 May 2025

Location

Lausanne

Length

4 days

Price

CHF 7,900

Apply

Dates

25 Sep – 28 Sep 2025

Location

Lausanne

Length

4 days

Price

CHF 7,900

Apply

Tuition, teaching materials, and lunch are included.
All fees quoted are exclusive of any value-added or other indirect taxes that may be due in any country.
IMD reserves the right to modify the program dates, location, and fee at any time.

One step closer to joining IMD alumni network

Successful completion of this program takes you one step closer to joining IMD’s powerful alumni network.

130k+ alumni

Networking

250+ events per year

Communities

50+ clubs worldwide

Resources

Learn more about IMD alumni network