Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity and Entrepreneurial Finance

Venture capital and private equity fuel growth, innovation and entrepreneurship

The Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity and Entrepreneurial Finance (CVCPEEF) integrates financial thinking and strategic decision-making with innovation and entrepreneurship via research and education across the university, and outreach to the venture capital (VC) and private equity community around the world.

A flagship initiative of the CVCPEEF is the MSU Student Venture Capital Fund, a thriving collaboration with the MSU Foundation and the Red Cedar Ventures. This partnership gives students the opportunity to conduct due diligence, competitor, monetization, and valuation analysis, empowers 4-5 VC-focused companies in MSU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to receive pre-seed funding each year.

Our advisory board is made up of distinguished professionals, serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, private equity professionals and five core faculty members that provide invaluable guidance for the center.

CVCPEEF Information Sheet

Research with real-world impact

It is our commitment to advance and promote academic and applied research by MSU faculty and students. Our findings inspire solutions to the relevant, pressing issues that today’s businesses face.

Primary Areas of Research

High-tech, bio-tech venture capital-backed entrepreneurship
Venture capital and private equity investments
Venture capital and private equity’s role in commercializing innovations

Our Core Faculty

As MSU’s only center focused on venture capital and private equity, we are uniquely positioned with experts in both finance and entrepreneurship to advance the center’s mission and to provide transformational leadership opportunities.

We focus on the interactions among entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and private equity investors – and the interactions among venture capitalists, private equity funds and their investors.

Hao Jiang

Philip J. May Professor in Finance
Department of Finance

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Raoul Minetti

Professor
Department of Economics

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Hayong Yun

Associate Professor
Department of Finance

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Caroline Genc

Assistant Professor
Department of Finance

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Mingming Qiu

Fixed-Term Faculty
Finance

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Joerg Picard

External Faculty

Educating the next financial leaders

The number-one reason why innovators and entrepreneurs fail is because they are not able to integrate financial decision-making with strategic business development and growth. The CVCPEEF positions Broad and its students as transformational leaders with cutting-edge knowledge and skills to adapt to the ever-changing global business environment.

We disseminate academic and applied research on venture capital, private equity and entrepreneurial finance through hands-on projects. This core knowledge is critical for our community of students, alumni, venture capital and private equity professionals, as well as high-tech, biotech university entrepreneurs.

Associates

Every year, the center selects MBA and undergraduate student associates who participate in the center’s initiatives, take leadership roles in its activities and receive mentoring.

Zhouxiaoxiong (Alex) Qi

Undergraduate, Class of 2017

Theodore Ake

MBA Candidate, Class of 2017

Jonathan Arias

JD Candidate, Class of 2016

Matthew Baas

Undergraduate, Class of 2018

Aidan Hodlmair

From an Associate

I am a senior finance major at Michigan State University, with experience across multiple industries, including wealth management, private equity, and entrepreneurial finance. Through my roles at Executive Wealth Management, EP Wealth Advisors, and as a Teaching Assistant for Entrepreneurial Finance, I have gained exposure to the vast and complex world of finance. I understand how immense and interconnected this field is, and I believe that developing a well-rounded education—paired with real-world experience across different sectors—will be invaluable in the long run.

Finance is an ever-evolving field with countless opportunities, and I am excited by the prospect of exploring multiple career paths. From wealth management and entrepreneurial finance to venture capital and financial analysis, each area presents unique challenges and opportunities that fuel my curiosity and passion. I look forward to continuing this journey, gaining new experiences, and seeing where my interests and skills lead me.

My involvement with the Student Venture Capital Fund (SVCF) began during my junior year as part of FI444 – Entrepreneurial Finance, a class that provided hands-on experience in evaluating early-stage companies, conducting due diligence, and developing investment pitches. This immersive learning opportunity deepened my understanding of venture capital and private equity while refining my ability to assess business models and financial strategies. Inspired by this experience, I returned in my senior year as a Teaching Assistant for FI444, where I mentored students through the same process. In this role, I guided them in analyzing companies, interpreting financial statements, and presenting investment recommendations. Helping students apply real-world financial principles has been incredibly rewarding, and I take pride in contributing to a program that equips MSU students with the skills and confidence to excel in finance.

AMBASSADORS

Ambassadors are recently graduated alumni in the early stages of their careers who actively support CVCPEEF’s mission and mentor current students, fostering professional growth and engagement.

MATT BOLTON

Undergraduate, Class of 2024

Matt Bolton

From an Ambassador

I am currently an analyst in J. P. Morgan’s Mid-Cap Financial Sponsors Group in Chicago, where we provide comprehensive banking services to private equity firms engaged in acquiring, adding to, or selling middle-market companies. In my role, I have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of companies, from early-stage startups to large corporations, as well as with various private equity and investment firms, each with distinct focus areas.

My experience with the Venture Center began with participating in the Student Venture Capital Fund (SVCF) my junior year. This interactive investment opportunity provided by the Venture Center allowed me to gain experience evaluating companies, conducting due diligence and industry research, and pitching prospective investments. During this process I learned about investment strategies of VC/PE funds, company evaluation techniques, and the VC/PE industry as a whole. This experience was a key reason why I discovered my passion for venture investing and played a large role in my decision to start my career in this dynamic field.

During my senior year, I was involved in leading the SVCF as a Learning Assistant for Entrepreneurial Finance. This role was incredibly fulfilling as I had the chance to share my knowledge with the students who were participating in this unique investing experience provided by the Venture Center. Offering the opportunity to gain this hands-on education allows MSU to produce the next generation of leaders in the venture investing industry and gives our students the ability to enter the industry with a higher level of understanding than their peers.

Engaging in outreach and collaboration

We actively collaborate with similar entrepreneurship and venture capital centers at our peer institutions across the United States and around the world for research, teaching and outreach activities.

We reach out to build mutually beneficial relationships:

MSU alumni entrepreneurs
Venture capital and private equity professionals
Michigan and Midwest entrepreneurs
Venture capital and private equity firms
Service providers
Entrepreneurship-focused programs and entities at MSU

Advisory Board

The center has a 20+ member advisory board of distinguished professionals, serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and private equity professionals.