In an information session earlier this summer for prospective applicants to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, alumni, students, faculty and staff highlighted the school’s strengths in the areas of private equity and venture capital.
The point of the session was to show that Kellogg, though certainly known best for its marketing curriculum, is more than just a marketing school.
“The finance curriculum is as strong as anywhere in the country, bar none,” said Reeve Waud ’89, managing partner at Waud Capital Partners and one of the information session panelists. “Kellogg has all the courses and the expertise and the depth,” he continued. And according to other panelists, it also has a wealth of related extracurricular activities and a strong alumni network.
In addition to traditional classes in private equity and venture capital (PEVC), Kellogg also features experiential learning opportunities such as its “Venture Lab” and “Buyout Lab,” in which students are paired with alumni or Kellogg supporters to test-drive PEVC in a real-world setting. The PEVC Club, meanwhile, is the largest student-run club on campus, and there’s also a “Private Equity Boot Camp,” which meets on Saturday mornings during the fall quarter.
According to Mitchell Petersen, the Glen Vasel Professor of Finance and director of the Heizer Center, Kellogg students who are looking to go into private equity and venture capital benefit from the fact that Kellogg runs all of its students through a variety of disciplines. “One thing you notice if you’re in the [private equity and venture capital] industry is, if all you know is finance, you’ll never be successful,” he said. “In my finance class we will talk about marketing and strategy and other disciplines.”
“It’s like being a well-rounded athlete,” agreed Waud. “In our business, it’s about how you negotiate it, how you finance it and how you sell it. Those skills are hard to learn unless you live it, and Kellogg gives you those fundamentals.”
To learn more about private equity and venture capital at Kellogg, click here.
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