Columbia Venture Capital Private Equity Program Review by Past Participants
| Synopsis: The Columbia Venture Capital Private Equity Program review by past participants reveals how this global experience helps professionals align expertise with investment impact and strategic growth. |
The Columbia Venture Capital Private Equity Program offers a transformative and immersive learning journey for finance professionals and investors seeking an edge in a high-stakes landscape. Featuring interactive sessions, global peer learning, and actionable frameworks on term sheets and deal structures, this business school executive education program helps learners align their skills with their long-term career goals. Explore the Columbia Business School Executive Education Venture Capital Private Equity Program review by past participants, highlighting the positive impact they experienced during the learning journey.
Columbia Venture Capital Private Equity Program Review
“Finding an opportunity in VC is not easy with the current market conditions. As someone who came from an operator/founder background, the Venture Capital Private Equity Program helped me compete with other experienced VC candidates. It gave me an overall foundation of how venture funds operate internally and how they are structured. Coincidentally, the venture fund I’m at just started raising a new growth opportunity fund, allowing me to use my insights gained from the program and add value to our new initiative.”
– Simon Yu
Venture Partner at Expert Dojo
“The best part is the deep knowledge and experience of the professors and how they present their respective expertise in both VC/PE. Both professors Angela Lee and Donna Hitscherich are extremely helpful and clear in their explanations and delivery styles; both are great instructors. Furthermore, the support team fills in every gap in the learning. well thought-out program and anticipates the students’ needs.”
– Kyle Franklin
President of a real estate organization
“The program really stood out in its practical focus. Modules that walked through value creation strategies and the importance of building a strong investment thesis were valuable, including stress-testing with questions like “what’s plan B?” The tools and frameworks, like the LBO model, were extremely useful. While I’m already very familiar with due diligence, I found the discussions on deal structuring, valuation, and portfolio management to be insightful and applicable to real-world PE scenarios.”
– Gary Harris
Partner in an Insurance Firm“Learning through videos is awesome! Plus, we have all the resources, such as the summary guides. I loved the additional resource articles; I learned a lot from them in every module. I loved the faculty sessions, which gave time to really ask questions and a broader understanding, and the faculty is highly tenured, knowledgeable, and can really break down complex concepts into easily digestible sections.”
– Kristina Kulikova
Senior Vice President, LP Advisory
“I liked the PE capstone project. It was a great opportunity to apply concepts learned in the program and learn from the feedback provided by the success coach, Michael Hillmeyer. He was excellent and hands-on through the PE module.”
– Anahita Nakhjiri
Global People & Talent Leader
Hear Directly From Our Past Participants on LinkedIn
Emily Dean-Whitten, an M&A Associate Vice President and a past participant, is a global network ambassador for the Columbia Venture Capital Private Equity program. She is always happy to chat about it with anyone. Read her full testimonial below:
Read Firoz J’s testimonial below:
Ruth Pitt recalls that the faculty sessions were engaging & insightful and spanned macroeconomics to leadership jazz
Learn smart exits and deal execution with Columbia Business School’s Venture Capital Private Equity Program.
About the Columbia Business School Venture Capital Private Equity Program
The Columbia Business School Executive Education Venture Capital Private Equity Program is a transformative 9- to 12-month experience designed for professionals aiming to thrive in the high-stakes world of venture capital and private equity. It blends foundational knowledge with real-world applications, helping learners build robust investment skills while aligning with their individual career goals.
Delivered through a flexible format, the program offers:
- Core modules that span the investment lifecycle—startup evaluation, term sheets, valuation, deal structuring, and portfolio management
- Specialized electives with a deep dive into either VC decision-making or leveraged buyouts, depending on your focus
- Interactive sessions led by Columbia faculty and industry experts, bringing practical experience into every topic
- A hands-on capstone project where you apply tools and insights to real-world scenarios
- Personalized guidance from a success coach to align your learning journey with your professional objectives
What truly sets this Columbia Business School executive education experience apart is its emphasis on collaboration and global exposure:
- An optional two-day networking event in New York City to connect with global peers and industry professionals
- Access to Columbia’s esteemed faculty, such as Angela Lee and Donna Hitscherich, and insights from guest speakers across the VC and PE sectors
- Post-completion benefits include a Certificate in Business Excellence and lifelong access to Columbia’s alumni network and resources
This venture capital private equity program is ideal for professionals ready to step into high-impact roles and make informed investment decisions in an increasingly complex market.
