BAEP 559 - Investing in New Ventures

The professor is a bit crazy and intense, but there really isn't any work and the speakers that he brings to almost every class are of an incredible caliber. This class is worth it for the speakers alone.

Prof. Nikkho is a poor professor. He is highly opinionated on subjective topics (his way or highway, then top VC's come in and shut his theories down...), verbally attacks students during cold calls, all-around rude guy. However, the speakers he brings in are AWESOME. Luckily, 90% of classes are with the guest speakers. No homework or projects, just a midterm and final, both of which he reviews with whole class just before taking. Prof. is also very flaky, will show up late to class (30-60 minutes) or not at all in some cases.

Teacher is terrible. He does not care about students, does not answer emails, and does not have a real TA. Expect to only hear from him during class times, and for him to be drunk (and drinking) during class. Well connected, successful, but terrible at teaching. This man needs a real TA (possibly a real teacher to co-teach with him).

"Ivan is able to bring in speakers with great pedigrees and industry experience, and we learn a lot from these speakers. That being said, Ivan doesn't do enough to prepare the speakers for continuity, and also does not do as much to teach/drill down on the requirements of the course. Thus far this semester, the course has seemed to be more of a speaker series than an academic class. Additional structure would be welcome, and I think would force more students to learn more."

Great class for into to VC world.

great class; you learn a lot and ivan is a boss

"The professor is a nut! If you're easily offended, don't take this class. He's sexist, racist, and makes sexual jokes the whole time. That being said, you're going to learn so much about the start-up and VC world.The class has a guest speaker every class which kills 50% of the 3 hours. The guest speakers are AWESOME. You will not regret it. If you can get past the ***hole professor's personality, you will like the class."

It's one of the best classes to take if you're looking for practical knowledge related to venture capital and private equity. The class is primarily comprised of guest speakers (current VC/PE professionals from around the LA area).

"The professor knows a lot about the industry and brings really nice guest speaker. But he creates a bad environment during the class. If you are able to deal with the professor jokes and style, the class is great! Nice guest speakers, just a few assignments, and one midterm and one final."

"Waste of time. There is nothing new you learn beyond first 3 classes. The same thing gets repeated over and over. The prof is a great speaker and can hence mesmerize you. But in terms of content, this is a 0.25 unit course"