Welcome to ECOM147 (2024/25)
Updated: 20-Jan-2025
Watch an AI Avatar Introduction to the course here
Synopsis
This practical module, initially designed as onboarding training for new Analysts at Brookstreet Equity Partners, has been reframed around best-in-class Harvard Business School textbooks and cases, making it suitable for a Masters-level audience. Now in its 6th year, the module attracts over 200 international University of London students from various disciplines, ranging from Law to Wealth Management. It offers deep insights into the landscape and practices of private equity and venture capital and blends sound academic principles with practical applications. It includes a PEVC ecosystem analysis, a review of an investment fund and deal lifecycle process, practical exercises in the art and science of valuation, governance challenges and strategies in portfolio management, a 360-degree pitching and investment simulation akin to Dragon's Den or Shark Tank, and an overview of the latest trends and complexities in the realms of fund management, startups, scale-ups, unicorns, and leveraged buyouts.
Expected Outcome
Upon completion of this course, participants will be well-versed in the most current trends in Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) as of 2025. Students will be able to understand how to work in a fund, invest in a fund, set up a fund, attract investments for your deal, and how to work with investment bankers like Goldmans and Rothschild (and what is the difference between them), Big 4 firms like EY, consulting firms like McKinsey, fellow fund managers from LBOs at KKR to VC at Sequoia; Founders, VC Angels and Portfolio CEOs.
New for 2025
We are excited to announce that in 2025, our course will broaden its scope to encompass two pivotal themes: Artificial Intelligence - exemplified by the AI AVATAR Teaser and Environmental, Social, and Governance factors (commonly known as ESG), with a focus on their implications for Funds, Firms, and Founders.
Career Options
Graduates of this module have pursued careers in banks, funds, law firms, digital agencies, and management consultancies. Others have raised their own VC Funds, secured capital for their Start-Ups, sold their Family Business, or acquired a Firm.
We look forward to welcoming you to our class, where we will engage in lively debates about the trends and challenges in the modern world of investment management, Private Equity and Venture Capital.
Delivery
· Weekly lectures, live cases, active deal discussions, weekly tutorials, and two "DragonsDen/SharkTank" competitions.
· Lectures by Omiros D. Sarikas o.sarikas@qmul.ac.uk & osarikas@brookstreetequity.com (Teaching Fellow, Full Time Professional, Visiting Academic at QMUL)
· Tutorials by Floris Laly f.laly@qmul.ac.uk (Teaching Associate, Full Time Academic at QMUL)
Textbook (Referred to as Lerner) - Harvard Business School Prof J Lerner
· Lerner, J., Leamon, A., and Hardymon, F. (2023, 2nd Edition), Venture Capital, Private Equity, and the Financing of Entrepreneurship. New York: Wiley. The book can rented from Wiley. Link).
Supplementary Material (Key Reading)
- British Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (BVCA), A Guide to Venture Capital Termsheets, London. [Link]
HBS Case Studies
- Extra HBS Case Studies maybe be utilized as we go along for advanced technical and cross border PEVC in Asia and MENA.
Recordings & Slides
- Lecturer will provide detailed slides which can be used for instruction and revision. These slides will appear on QMUL on Monday (allowing a week for prep-reading).
360o Engagement
- The course aims to be an interactive discussion not a passive power point lecturing. We will use Live cases, key financial platforms and we will discuss the key PEVC Databases, Conferences, Roadshows. We also aim to learn from each other. Within your cohort are the new Fund Managers and Unicorn CEOs of tomorrow. This means you should be in class to bring YOUR ideas too.
Learning Outcomes
- The aim of business and financial education is to prepare us for the “real-world”. The course aims to serve as a practical toolkit- to apply for a job, become an investor, raise money or sell your business. We also hope this class will serve as a sandbox to test your ideas before you apply them to the market.
Assessment
· 20% Assessed through two team-work simulations (Pitch your VC Deal 10%, and Pitch your Fund 10%)
· 80% via Final Exam (2 Hours, 10 Open Questions)
Syllabus: Learning Pathway
The Course is structured around 10+1 sessions: During eight of these sessions we will cover everything we need to know about deals and funds. We will incorporate AI and ESG across all sessions (so all slides will be updated with 2025 latest trends).
- PEVC Basics
- Setting up a fund
- Originate a deal
- Valuate a deal
- Structure a term sheet and a deal
- Pitch your VC Start Up
- Manage your deal
- Exit your deal
- Measure your performance
- Pitch your PE/VC Fund
- Revision & Trends Session (OPTIONAL)
*** Doing Deals (Practice) ***
During the course we perform two "Dragons Den/Shark Tank" fun and engaging competition simulations as your coursework:
1) Pitch your VC Start Up (worth 10% of your final mark)
2) Pitch your PE/VC Fund (worth 10% of your final mark).
About Your Instructor
OMIROS D. SARIKAS
Omiros is the Founder and Managing Partner (CEO) of Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP ("Brookstreet"). He has earned numerous accolades, including “GameChanger of the Year,” “CEO of the Year,” “M&A Young Gun of the Year,” and recognition as one of the “Top 250 Deal Makers in the World.” He has also been listed among the “40 Under 40” and named a Real Deals "Drax Future 40” investor, shaping the future of Europe. Omiros has an international M&A and investment experience, having worked in London, Zürich, and New York. A seasoned deal architect, he has executed 300+ engagements across Corporates, Investment Banks, PEVC funds, as well as Governments, and he has appeared twice on the cover of CEO Today. With over 200 media mentions, he has been a keynote speaker at more than 100 prominent forums, including those organized by the Financial Times, The Economist, London Stock Exchange, and Bloomberg. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School (HBS), as well as LBS, CBS, and LSE, among others. Additionally, he co-Chaired the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HarvardAE) Global Advisory Council and is a lifetime member its Accelerator Crimson Founding Circle. Omiros holds the Freedom of the City of London (Key to the City) as a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (WCIB), where he served as Chairman of its Fundraising Advisory Board, and member of its ESG Committee, Charity & Education Committee and Court (Trustee). He is recognized as a Fortune Mindful Leader, a member of The Fortune CEO Initiative, and has been honored with the “Who is Who International Award” as one of the “World’s Eminent Men in Funding and Investments.”
BROOKSTREET EQUITY PARTNERS LLP
Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP ("Brookstreet") is an award-winning, commercially-focused investor and international platform. Its investment thesis centers on Digital (AI) Transformation, Green Transition, and Longevity Scale-Ups. Headquartered in London’s Mayfair, Brookstreet operates globally with partners, assets, and investors across the USA, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Brookstreet was one of the first investors to integrate Artificial Intelligence, Commercial Due Diligence, Talent DNA and ESG Rankings into its processes. “Brookstreet 2.0” unites a distinguished team of Ivy League and Oxbridge PEVC fund managers, McKinsey consultants, M&A bankers, Founders, and CEOs, on an AI-and KPI enhanced institutional investment platform, offering “Precision in Asymmetry”.
