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Student Managed Venture Fund

MS Finance

The Student Managed Venture Fund (SMVF) is an experiential learning course that covers the nuances of venture investing through interaction with firms and investors engaged in venture capital with the opportunity to co-invest with the partner.

In the course, you will meet with early-stage investors (Angels and VCs), perform due diligence on potential investment opportunities, present your findings to a panel of experts, and select a company for the SMVF to invest in.

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The course runs each spring semester. It is a recommended elective for students in all three MSF tracks.

Non-finance graduate students and senior undergraduate students from across campus who are interested in venture investing, entrepreneurship, or developing and launching new products are encouraged to apply to participate. Select junior undergraduate students will also be considered.

Join the Course 

If you are interested in joining the next SMVF class, please send your resume including GPA, a list of relevant university level courses that you have successfully completed, and a personal statement explaining your interest in the course to smvf@purdue.edu.

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“Students receive mentorship from professionals who spend time teaching them the science and art involved in investing in early stage, nonpublic companies across industries. One of the most memorable meetings that we had was with the CEO of Elevate Ventures, Christopher (Toph) Day, where he talked about the different funds within Elevate, their investment style, the rounds that they like to invest in, and what they look for in entrepreneurs.”

Varun Bali, MSF '22
Senior Analyst, Goldman Sachs

Course Details

The experience consists of three phases: investor interviews, the shallow dive, and the deep dive.

Investor Interviews

Students read Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson's book Venture Deals and conduct interviews with 10-12 early-stage investors. In these interviews, students learn directly from practitioners about their chosen focus area, ideal flow sourcing, screening and selection, approach to term sheets, investment vehicles, portfolio management, and exit strategies.

Shallow Dive

Every week, each 3-4 person student team reviews five pitch decks from companies actively seeking funding. At the end of the week, the team presents their rationale for selecting the two companies they assess to be most attractive. The presentations are made to the instructors and partners.

Deep Dive

Students select two companies from the shallow dive for a full due diligence. If there is sufficient confidence in the company, the students can decide to co-invest with the partner from the Venture Fund.

Want to Learn More?

If you would like to receive more information about the MS Finance program at Purdue, please fill out the form and a program specialist will be in touch.





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We also have availability to meet with you virtually to discuss how your goals align with our curriculum, community, student experiences and outcomes to determine if Purdue is the right fit for you!

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