Training
In this section you can access:
Private Equity fund managers in the SME space manage relatively smaller fund sizes - $30 to $100 million which presents two challenges: i) Management fees are relatively low and so the fund manager’s ability to pay top skilled investment staff is reduced; and ii) related to this, GP teams require occasional training to boost the skills sets needed for business development, deal structuring/financial modeling, portfolio monitoring/value addition and exits.
Training Firms
If your team needs coaching or in-depth insights on a particular PE or functional skill area prior to investment, during the DD process, or to find that step change in Revenue or EBITDA performance post investment, these are some training resource examples available.
Name | Area of expertise | Location | Description | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bain & Company | Private Equity Funds, from Due Diligence to Exits. | South Africa | Provides a full range of PE services across the investment life cycle, from deal generation to due diligence to portfolio value creation, exit planning and more. | Further information |
Fulcrum-Partners | Private Equity Courses | London | Developed market focus PE training course with an emerging market angle. | Further information |
Optima | SME Risk Capital, Due Diligence. | South Africa | South and East Africa focused firm - lead partner ex-Business Partners International. | Further information |
Online Training Opportunities
When the team needs a step up in skills but needs to stay on the job to keep mining the pipeline or monitoring the portfolio, some online resources are available that can help the team have it all! Some online resource examples are:
Training Link | Description | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
Wall Street Mojo | Offers PE tutorials with a wide range covering topics like: PE analysis, post money valuation, growth capital, term sheets, LPs versus GPs in PE, Carried interest and other. | Review |
Wall Street Mojo | Relevant full courses covering Private Equity, Venture Capital and Leveraged Buyouts (“LBOs”). | Review |
Wall Street Prep | Offers Self-study, Boot camps, Corporate bespoke and on-campus courses on: Financial modelling, Accounting and finance, Excel, Productivity, Private Equity, and Project finance. | Review |
Wall Street Prep | Offering targeted directly at Private Equity but slanted towards Leveraged Buyout models. Taught by experienced PE professionals, provides a platform to network with professionals in investment banking, PE and asset management. | Review |
Udemy | Provides a detailed overview of the Private Equity Industry, explaining the concepts of Limited Partners and General Partners, Private equity funds structure‚ Term Sheets‚ Deal Structuring‚ Valuation of Private Companies‚ Due Diligence, Building a Private Equity Model, Corporate Finance foundation and Valuation techniques. It also focuses on the “private equity cycle,” explaining how private equity funds are raised and structured. | Review |
Privcap Academy | Offers fundamentals to the PE Asset class, covering: an intro to PE; Comparison of PE and other asset classes, players in the PE Ecosystem, PE fund lifecycle and risks, Strategies covering: LBO & VC, Growth Equity, distressed and turnaround assets and mezzanine and credit approaches. | Review |
Coursera | Offers participants training through the life-cycle of PE investing, starting from startup and early stage to expansion, maturity and through to potential crises and decline. The course covers activities, such as, scouting, advisory, deal-making, valuation, and financing. Throughout the course, guest speakers and practitioners will be interviewed to provide some examples of concrete applications of the contents presented. | Review |
Training opportunities through regional associations – AVCA, EAVCA, SAVCA, LAVCA, BVCA, EMPEA.
Regional PE and VC associations provide networking, advocacy and training platforms to the investment ecosystems in their geographies. The training programs are open to members and non-members and can be very useful opportunities to brush up on skills with a local flavor, share experiences and review cases familiar to fund managers.
The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association
The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (“AVCA”) is the pan-African industry body which promotes and enables private investment in Africa. AVCA plays a significant role as a champion and effective change agent for the industry, educating, equipping and connecting members and stakeholders with independent industry research, best practice training programs, and exceptional networking opportunities. AVCA training opportunities cover the full spectrum of the PE cycle with topics such as: Overview of Funds in Africa, and Emerging markets; components of a successful fund; fund manager roles and responsibilities; deal sourcing, deal flow, due diligence and structuring; Governance, teams and private placement memoranda (“PPMs”); portfolio monitoring and reporting and development outcomes and Additionality. More details can be found on the training calendar link below:
The East Africa Venture Capital Association
The East Africa Venture Capital Association (“EAVCA”) represents private equity and venture capital funds in East Africa. EAVCA promotes East Africa as a private capital destination, while ensuring a favorable environment for trade for the private capital sector. EAVCA serves its members primarily through: Advocacy, Intelligence, Training and networking events. EAVCA collaborates with SAVCA and AVCA on pan African or inter regional activities. EAVCA’s training activities span all topics relevant to PE and VC operations and also engages investment institutions to connect with fund managers.
South African Venture Capital Association
South African Venture Capital Association (“SAVCA”). SAVCA is the industry body and public advocate for private equity and venture capital asset classes in Southern Africa. The key activities of the SAVCA are: Promoting the private equity and venture capital asset classes; Conducting topical research; Offering relevant training; Hosting networking and relevant events; Engaging in regulatory lobbying and advocacy on behalf of members and the industry; and Providing guidelines and standards for the industry. Their training events are dynamic and cover various key topics on Private Equity and Venture Capital. These courses are however targeted at established PE and VC practitioners. Current offerings can be found at the link below:
The Latin America Venture Capital Association
The Latin America Venture Capital Association (“LAVCA”). LAVCA is the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America, a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to supporting the growth of private capital in Latin America and the Caribbean. LAVCA’s membership comprises over 190 firms, from leading global investment firms active in the region and local fund managers to family offices, global sovereign wealth funds, corporate investors, and international pension plans. LAVCA seeks to spur regional economic growth by advancing private capital investment through research, networking, education, promoting best investment practices, and advocacy. The training and networking programs can be found at:
EMPEA
EMPEA is the global industry association for private capital in emerging markets. An independent, non-profit organization, the association brings together 300+ firms—including institutional investors, fund managers, and industry advisors—who manage more than USD5 trillion in assets across 130 countries. EMPEA members share the organization’s belief that private capital can deliver attractive long-term investment returns and promote the sustainable growth of companies and economies. EMPEA supports its members globally through authoritative research and intelligence, conferences, networking, education, and advocacy. The training events are available via the link below.
Executive Education Programs focused on Private Equity
When suitably experienced PE practitioners wish to brush up on new trends and market innovations, executive education programs provide intense learning opportunities on a combined face to face and online education program. Some selections are captured below, but many more exist globally. These courses are relatively expensive and targets partner or pre-partner level participation
Wharton Business School
Private Equity: Investing and Creating Value is designed for institutional investors as well as investment professionals aspiring to be better private equity managers. This private equity program, taught by renowned Wharton finance faculty, will deliver the latest information about the private equity sector, while teaching the latest concepts investors need to know to confidently evaluate investment opportunities in the private equity space and to build optimal investment processes.
Harvard Business School
This Harvard Business School investment management course provides the frameworks to improve PE firm effectiveness at every stage of a deal. By examining critical issues related to industry infrastructure, portfolio management, and negotiation strategies, participants are equipped to overcome emerging investment challenges, find new paths to growth, and increase returns on capital.
INSEAD
INSEAD offers access to comprehensive curricula in private equity through a wide range of courses in the MBA and Executive MBA programs. INSEAD also offers tailored Executive Education for companies or open enrolment programs forming part of their engagement with the PE industry. Research and industry interactions are integrated into the programs ensuring that participants are well prepared to act in or interact with PE companies.