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.
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.
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.
Theodore Ake
- MBA Candidate, Class of 2017
Jonathan Arias
- JD Candidate, Class of 2016
Matthew Baas
- Undergraduate, Class of 2018
Matt Bolton
- Undergraduate, Class of 2024
Mike O’ Boyle
- Undergraduate, Class of 2017
Shawn Desai
- JD/MBA Candidate, Class of 2017
Joseph Domenico
- JD/MBA Candidate, Class of 2016
Nydia Hawala
- Humphrey Fellow 2017
Aidan Hodlmair
- Undergraduate, Class of 2025
Alex Hus
- Undergraduate, Class of 2017
Piyush Jangam
- MBA Candidate, Class of 2016
Blake Lamb
- Undergraduate, Class of 2018
Carly Mach
- Undergraduate, Class of 2017
Krish Mehta
- MBA Candidate, Class of 2019
Michael Minkus
- MBA Candidate, Class of 2020
Chris Mulligan
- Undergraduate, Class of 2018
Samarth Mungali
- MBA Candidate, Class of 2018
Eric Preston
- JD/MBA Candidate, Class of 2019
David Rader
- JD Candidate, Class of 2016
Paul Robertson
- JD/MBA Candidate, Class of 2016
Zachary VanFleet
- Undergraduate Class of 2026
Zhouxiaoxiong (Alex) Qi
- Undergraduate, Class of 2017
Zachary VanFleet
From an Associate
I am a senior in Finance here at Michigan State University, with vast work experience in personal wealth management, customer service, and management. My past role at OsborneKlein wealth management, and my current role as a Teaching Assistant for Entrepreneurial Finance, has given me a new understanding of the world of Finance. I have been taught the importance of efficiency on a daily basis and how small improvements in processes or decision-making can create meaningful impacts over time. These roles have reinforced my interest in the field of Finance and motivated me to build a strong foundation blending my technical knowledge with real-world experience
Finance is a field that is different every single day, and I am eager to be involved in this fast-paced environment after I graduate. I have been able to develop a strong sense of client relations, financial planning support, and operational efficiency. These experiences, combined with my involvement in leadership roles such as being the co-captain and fundraising manager of the MSU Club Dodgeball team, have fueled my passion for finance and motivated me to continue growing both professionally and personally.
I was introduced to the Student Venture Capital Fund (SVCF) as a sophomore and found a great interest in the class itself. It wasn’t until my Junior when I was able to be a part of this fantastic experience. This class provided me with my first hands-on experience with venture capital and private equity. I was able to complete professional-level company research with a due diligence report, strategize with a group of people, and put our findings into a corporate-level presentation to be shown to judges and business owners. I enjoyed this experience so much, I returned the following year as the Teaching Assistant to guide students through the same process that I fell in love with. I have been able to show students how to efficiently complete due diligence research, find information within financial statements, and how to present final recommendations for a company. I am excited for the opportunity to bring this experience, work ethic, and passion for finance to the CVCPE program and continue developing as both a student and professional.
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.
Jonathan Adamsky
- Senior VP of Wealth Management, UBS
Kelly Ford Buckley
- General Partner, Edison Partners
Ralph Carmichael
- CEO and Founder, Bonwrx
Michael Finn
- President, Foxen Advisors
Jim Forrest
- Chairman, Shore Capital Partners
Christine Gibbons
- Independent Consultant
Matthew Growney
- Founder and Managing Director, Rudyard Partners
James Hill
- Vice-President, First Trust Capital Partners
Suyash Jain
- Senior Manager of Corporate Development, Synopsys Inc.
Scott Lanard
- Head of Android Partner Finance, Google
Reuben Levinsohn
- Founder, Washington Avenue Advisors
Richard Lodge
- Chief Investment Officer/Treasurer, Stage Capital, LLC
Merritt Lutz
- CEO, FinRisk Technologies
Fed Matteson
- Managing Director, Alvarez and Marsal
Brandon Montes
- Development and Engineering Business Controller, ASML
Tom Nastas
- Founder and President, Innovative Ventures
Vince Nystrom
- Partner, Renaissance Venture Fund
Jim Plonka
- CEO (retired), Michigan Molecular Institute
David Rader
- Deputy Director at Office of the Secretary of Defense
Nandhini Rangan
- Learning Solution Lead, Google
Ryan Rathman
- Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Markets, Michigan Department of Treasury
Manoj Saxena
- Chairman, CognitiveScale
- First GM of IBM Watson, IBM
David Smith
- Angel Investor
Chris Sugden
- Managing Partner and Chairman, Edison Partners
Todd Webber
- Director, Technology Group, Quantum Ventures
Eric Worley
- Principal, Platinum Equity
Finance @ Broad
The Broad College of Business hosted the second annual Private Equity Case Competition on Apr. 3.
The competition will be held on Thursday, Apr. 9 at the Marriott East Lansing at University Place
Stay ahead of evolving markets with finance podcasts that help strengthen student’s understanding beyond the classroom
Contact Information
- Co-Director Of The Center For Venture Capita
- Hao Jiang
- jiangh@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 353-2920
- View Profile
- Co-Director Of The Center For Venture Capita
- Hayong Yun
- yunha@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 884-0549
- View Profile