Welcome to the Private Equity Program
Columbia Business School graduates have played leading roles in shaping the private equity and venture capital industries. In 2007, the School launched the Private Equity Program, which serves as the Business School’s primary point of contact with the private equity industry, unifying students, alumni and the business community into a single network. The program is dedicated to forging ever closer ties with the private equity industry by reinforcing the School’s commitment to linking theory with practice and by engaging alumni who continue to lead the development of the private equity and venture capital industries worldwide.
Industry relationships developed and deepened by the program enable the Business School and Columbia University to collaborate on private equity–related initiatives. This mutually beneficial arrangement engages the larger University community with the private equity industry while broadening the scope and intellectual breadth of the Private Equity Program.
The program’s advisory board provides additional professional depth, guidance and support to the program. Composed of successful and experienced Columbia Business School alumni, this group brings insight and representation from all aspects of the industry — not to mention an intimate understanding of the student experience — to the program.
Private equity electives, which build on the MBA Program’s rigorous core curriculum, reflect the demands of the industry and are offered in these areas: credit markets, later stage buy outs, restructuring and venture capital.
Beyond the classroom, the Private Equity Program produces a full calendar of activities that complements the formal curriculum. Senior-level practitioners — including many alumni — come to campus as event participants, speakers, panelists and mentors, providing students with exceptional opportunities to gain in-depth insight into current topics of interest as well as the general culture of the industry and specific firms they aspire to join. Each winter, Columbia Business School offers alumni, industry practitioners and students the opportunity to network and gain insight about contemporary issues during the annual Private Equity and Venture Capital Conference, now in its 16th year and drawing more than 700 participants. The Private Equity Program also collaborates with industry and government entities as well as other academic institutions to offer programs specific to these varied audiences.
In addition, the program works with student members of the Columbia Business School Private Equity and Venture Capital Club to secure internship opportunities at New York City–area private equity and venture capital firms. Interns work on a pro bono basis for the equivalent of 10 full working days at participating firms during the spring semester. The dual objective is to provide Columbia Business School students with experience in the private equity and venture capital industry while allowing firms the chance to learn about and benefit from Columbia Business School’s pool of talented students. The program also runs other professional-development programs for current students, such as an alumni breakfast series, a mentoring program and a senior executive recruiters’ guidance program.
Professor Laura B. Resnikoff ’76, the program’s director, joined the Columbia Business School faculty in 1991, after a robust career with both large scale corporations and private equity entities. She brings extensive global experience with private equity transactions, fund-raising and debt placements. During her Columbia Business School tenure, she has consulted with corporations in a variety of industries — as well as some not-for-profit organizations — on all aspects of organizational, operational and financial restructurings. Professor Resnikoff has taught several elective courses, including Turnaround Management and has developed several new electives, including the Master Class in Restructuring, one of the School’s inaugural Master Class offerings, and the Master Class in Private Equity. In spring 2009, she offered another new elective, in Dubai, “Investment Evolution and Opportunities in the MENA (Middle East/North African) Region.”
For more information, please contact pep@gsb.columbia.edu.
