BAEP 559 - Investing in New Ventures

Lite readings, few papers and little groupwork. No exams. Who is this class for? Anyone who wants to learn about VC either to work in the field or if you are an entrepreneur looking to understand VC process Final Thoughts: First hour of class is guest lecturers, which have been very interesting to learn from.

Not the best professor - class is pretty dry and she's not very inspiring. Good if you're really interested in venture capital, but could be far more engaging

Professor is very engaging and energetic. He is very passionate about the topic. He brings in a lot of great guest speakers, which makes the class very applicable and realistic. The class lacks guidance regarding what the objective of the lesson is or what deliverables there are for the course, but I've found a lot of value from being in the course.

Professor is very knowledgeable and engaged in VC, also has his own firm. He is opinionated and a character, but if you don't mind that, you can learn a fair amount. The guest speakers also provide great value and are a good way to network for possible internships.

Professor is very outspoken and knowledgeable in the VC space. He is a full time VC and is very well connected in the LA community. Loves his students and loves to teach them. Cold calls on you so be prepared for that but after this class you will have learned so much about what it takes to be a VC and had some amazing speakers come talk to you.

Those teaching are very weak in explaining concepts. Very narrow view provided of VC's. Class is wasted potential

Take Venture Lab Fund instead. A waste of 3 credits. Should really have been a 1.5 credit class. Professors are too into themselves.

This is a painful 3 hour virtual class. The teaching team are professional venture capital, but definitely not professional teachers. At least an hour of each class is taken up by "warm calls" on 5 minute reads that the teachers themselves have published on Medium. Every once in a while the conversation will turn into something more interesting, but more often than not it's very hard to stay engaged despite what should be interesting subject material. Assignments are highly dependent on group work with a team you don't get to choose, so good luck there.

The class has potential to be interesting and educational. The current professor doesn't do a good job unfortunately, and the class is very dry and boring (for a night class!). I recommend taking this class if it is offered with a different professor. (btw- no idea why Scott is written as a professor, he doesn't teach the class...)

Largely pompous professor but he does know alot and has alot of experience. Knows many VC's and accelerators.

A lot of people in my class don't like the approach. It's a little weird because there are actually 3 professors teaching the class. I love how the class is structured. It may feel like a lot of work, but I am learning a lot about the VC industry. Since I want to open my own company, it's great to learn how VC's decide which startups they will fund, and what is all the logic behind it. I would suggest you not to worry about the amount of homework and assignments they give.

Often the Professor of this class gets flak for being let's just say not polite. But when somebody would go out to raise money for their company, this is the kind of people they will meet. Plus the guest speakers and course content is too good to let that bother you.

Great class. Not much work.

Nikkhoo blew me off during off hours and scheduled phone calls on more than one occasion. If you're looking for a warm fuzzy professor, this isn't the guy. However, the speakers he brings in are fantastic, extremely bright and interesting. In one class you get to pitch to a VC and get direct feedback from someone in the business. The skills you learn from the class will make you more successful entrepreneur and a better business person. As for Nikkhoo? It's good prep for dealing with VC's in the real world.

Largely pompous professor but he does know alot and has alot of experience. Knows many VC's and accelerators.

A good general overview of the process of identifying different funding sources. Material might have been covered in previous classes depending on prior course loads (Venture Capital, valuation lifecycle, etc). The professor brings in fabulous guests which are the highlight of the course. Good opportunity to polish presentation and pitch skills in front of real VCs. Not a high workload. The professor is difficult and can be abrasive. He can be nasty to students.

This course is extremely applicable for those interested in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Ivan brings in a lot of great speakers who are in the space, he will treat you like an entrepreneur, and he is a great resource especially if you show you are dedicated and interested. There isn't too much coursework involved but he expects you to know your stuff when you come into class so pay attention, take notes, and review them before getting to class. Very real-world for those who want to be VC or entrepreneur.

Overall, the class doesn't go too in depth. The speakers are great, but the professor can be very harsh and blunt. Grades don't matter to him, simply attendance. I have learned a lot but it is sometimes hard to see him unload on students who don't know the answers.