Batten Institute - Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition - Courses

Courses

GBUS 8629 "Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition"
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) is a growing career path for MBA graduates and experienced individuals looking to become CEO of their own company by purchasing an existing business using third-party capital. This course provides students with an introduction to the process of searching for a company, valuing a small business, structuring a deal, negotiating with a seller, completing due diligence, obtaining debt and equity financing, and closing the transaction to become the CEO of their own business. We will review the differences between a funded and a self-funded search, practice how to assess positive characteristics and risks of a company and learn how to utilize various forms of financing to purchase a small business.

GBUS 8509 "Tactical Topics for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition"
This course provides students with exposure to practical matters faced by operators of smaller enterprises. Whether starting or acquiring a small enterprise, entrepreneurs will be better prepared having been introduced to real-world topics such as relationships with key service vendors (banking, legal, accounting), commercial leasing terms, employee benefit programs, state and local public policy, government procurement, commercial insurance, commercial security interests, credit policies, and financial and operational control systems– from the vantage of the smaller enterprise where choices are often limited as compared to the options available to larger enterprises.

 
GBUS 8106 "Acquisition of Closely-Held Enterprises"
This course focuses on the process of acquisition of a business entity. Students will be shown the tools they need and the process to follow to successfully acquire a business of their own. Among the major topics covered will be the search process, assessing and valuing the business, financing consideration, negotiating, and closing the deal. The course may be of interest to those MBA students who are interested in leveraged buyouts, investment banking, venture capital, and other related careers.


GBUS 8453 “Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity (EPFE)"
EPFE focuses on the private equity (PE) industry and a broad range of issues that affect the valuation, pricing, and risk of privately held firms. EFPE is designed to provide students with a comprehensive set of skills that will allow them to understand the financial situation faced by high-growth/high-risk enterprises and later stage firms. The course begins with a brief module on limited partnerships to provide students with the necessary understanding of the practices and metrics of PE funds and their return expectations. From there the course examines the investment strategy, valuation, and opportunities of early stage (venture capital), middle market (growth equity, mezzanine financing), and late stage enterprises (buyouts). By design the course covers a range of enterprises to match the investment interests of PE investors. Each class helps students develop analytical tools and methods that can be used to reach better decisions about funding needs, valuation, return prospects, contract structuring and incentives to prepare for future professional roles in this industry.

GBUS 8625 "Mergers and Acquisitions"
This course is designed to provide students with a practical understanding of the merger and acquisition marketplace, addressing such topics as why companies grow through acquisitions, how acquisition or merger candidates are analyzed strategically and valued financially, and ultimately, whether and how mergers and acquisitions create value for stakeholders. Takeovers and mergers are a daily fact of life, have evolved into a critical part of every CEO or manager’s strategic toolbox, and will most likely affect every person who enters the corporate world at some point in their career. Whether a student chooses to be a senior corporate manager, an M&A practitioner, or merely an informed armchair observer, the course is intended to provide the analytical framework to evaluate an acquisition from a strategic, financial, structural, tactical, legal, and ethical perspective. Students will apply learned content to real business situations, including the opportunity to develop, create, and present an acquisition proposal to an actual corporate client during the class.

Course availability is subject to change. Please refer to the Darden Course Directory for a current listing of courses.