Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
What you'll learn
- Entrepreneurship through Acquisition and the economics behind it.
- Country and industry evaluation, acquisition criteria and Search Capital raising.
- Searching, performing due diligences and raising Acquisition Capital.
- Managing, creating value, making new acquisitions and exiting the acquired business.
Requirements
- Familiarity with business vocabulary is desired.
- Finance knowledge is not required.
- Investment Banking or Private Equity knowledge is not required.
Description
The course will benefit those who intend to become entrepreneurs through acquisition, want to work in Private Equity, Venture Capital, M&A, Corporate Venture or want to learn more about acquiring private companies. Acquiring companies is becoming a helpful skill in current corporate jobs as well, as Corporate Venture Capital and Corporate M&A pop up around the world and big companies like Google, Microsoft, or Apple, for example, are constantly acquiring other businesses.
As a researcher on the topic and an active investor in the Search Fund, I strive to make the course as accurate as possible. We will use the so-called "bible" of Research Funds (Search Fund Primer, Stanford, 2021) as our leading reference guide, as well as videos and quizzes to learn the main concepts behind Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. Finally, you will be able to develop your Business Plan (called PPM in Search Funds) throughout or after the course.
Learning is cumulative. Therefore, each module will introduce new concepts and vocabulary while reinforcing previously discussed topics without being repetitive. The course is structured to include mainly practical explanations but also a few theoretical ones. By the end of the period, students will be intellectually equipped and experienced to enrich or lead projects within the domain of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition.
Structured in 4 modules plus a Final Presentation, the course will cover the following:
1) Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (EtA) and economics behind it.
2) Country and industry assessment, criteria for acquiring and raising Search Capital.
3) Search, conduct due diligence and raising Acquisition Capital.
4) Management, value creation, new acquisitions, and exiting the acquired business.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After the program, students should have developed a new set of skills and knowledge:
1. Students should be able to identify critical aspects of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition, becoming able and motivated to critically analyze the opportunities to acquire a business in an entrepreneurial way throughout their professional lives.
2. Students must be able to use the basic vocabulary used in Entrepreneurship through Acquisition.
3. Students should be able to estimate what skills or knowledge they may lack to initiate a Search Fund, management buyout, or corporate M&E strategy.
Who this course is for:
- Professionals from approximately 25 to 45 years of age who seek financial support to search and acquire Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) with potential to grow via entrepreneurial management.
- Investors with Venture Capital, Private Equity or Entrepreneurial experience willing to learn about Search Funds as a growing asset class.
- Family Offices and institutional investors willing to better understand the asset class and how to invest in funds that invest in Search Funds.
- Founders or owners of Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) willing to understand how the legacy of their companies can be protected and expanded without their presence and under a Search Fund management team.
- Professionals willing to help scaling up Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) acquired by a Search Fund.
- Executives or directors of Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) interested in acquiring and leading the companies they work or worked for.
- Board members willing to help scaling up Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) acquired by Search Funds.
- Tax authorities, managers of public entities or formulators of public policies towards risk capital and venture capital investments.
- Due Diligence and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) lawyers and accountants.
- Business brokers, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) consultants or strategic consultants.
Instructor
Doctor Campos was born and raised in Brazil. He has lived in all continents spending most of his life in Brazil, Australia, Spain, India, France and Guinea-Bissau. Newton speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese fluently and in his personal time he enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends, hiking, playing acoustic guitar and discovering new places, which has taken him to almost 70 countries.
Professionally, Newton's life is driven by reshaping Capitalism through entrepreneurship and technology, preparing leaders to thrive relentlessly in their quest to solve local and global business, environmental and social challenges. He is the Country Director of IE University in Brazil, Professor of Entrepreneurship at FGV EAESP, Visiting Professor at IE Business School (Spain) and ITA (Brazil) and Founder and Managing Partner of Newton Equity Partners, a company that invests in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) via Search Funds worldwide.
He is the former Academic Director of FGVcepe Private Equity and Venture Capital Research Center at FGV EAESP (Brazil), published the book The Myth of The Idea (2015, 2020), the book chapter Teaching Entrepreneurship Online (2017) and the Glossary of Search Fund Terms (2022). Newton holds a PhD in Business Administration from FGV EAESP (2010), an MBA from IE Business School and IIM Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (2002), a Bachelor in Accounting from PUC São Paulo (1999) and a Technician degree in Information Technology from ORT (1994).