Logo

Global Private Equity Initiative

Menu
Search

Venture Capital Unlocked - Global Private Equity Initiative

Venture Capital Unlocked

An INSEAD and 500 Startups Executive Education Programme

Venture Capital in Asia is booming.

Asia has become a hotbed of VC activity, with $39 billion invested in startups and technology deals in 2016 – a positive trend compared to declining investments in many other parts of the world.

About half of unicorns worldwide are outside the US, and one-quarter of the global total resides in China including the world's second and third largest: Didi Chuxing and Xiaomi. It's not just China. Global investors are increasingly looking to deploy VC funding in Southeast Asia, where investments in startups have grown eight-fold over the last 5 years, from $275 million in 2011 to north of $2.2 billion in 2016. In India, government demonetisation has driven gains in ecommerce and electronic payment platforms, leading to large investments in Flipkart and Paytm. Japan's 'Line' debut on the NYSE marked the largest tech IPO for 2016, while domestic funds raised 60% more capital than in the previous year to back local startups.

 

With more investors interested in Asia-based startups and the traditional skew of the VC asset class towards the US, fund managers in the region need to prove to their LPs that they can identify strong winners and provide consistently strong returns.

 
Silicon Valley experience combined with a global academic institution

500 Startups, the most active VC firm in the world, has partnered with INSEAD, the leading global business school, to offer current and aspiring investors in the region a unique opportunity to develop and refine their investment skill set.

INSEAD

As one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD offers participants a truly global educational experience. With campuses in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore) and Middle East (Abu Dhabi), INSEAD's business education and research spans three continents. Our 145 renowned faculty members from 40 countries inspire more than 1,400 students in our degree and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 11,000 executives participate in INSEAD's executive education programmes each year.

The Financial Times has placed INSEAD #1 for the second consecutive year under its "Global MBA Ranking 2017". In 2016, INSEAD became the first school with a one-year MBA programme to take the #1 spot in the history of the FT rankings.

500 Startups

As a seed fund based in Silicon Valley with $350M in committed capital invested across four main funds and 13 micro-funds, 500 Startups has invested in 1800+ companies in 60+ countries (including Southeast Asian success stories Grab and Viki, which was acquired by Rakuten in 2012). 500 Startups has been creating an unrivalled network of investors – nearly 200 have graduated from their highly sought after "VC Unlocked" executive education programmes in Silicon Valley. For the first time, 500 Startups is taking VC Unlocked to a new geography.

Programme

Programme Agenda

In the programme, participants will work with INSEAD faculty and partners from 500 Startups to explore transferable patterns from Silicon Valley to Asia. The group will compare the startup investing landscape and trends across different countries in Asia.

The programme uses a hands-on learning methodology and draws on real world experiences. Participants interact with the faculty and each other through a combination of case studies, discussions, lectures, and simulation exercises. Guest lecturers include top VCs and startup founders from China, India and Southeast Asia.

Participants will get critical qualified feedback on how to improve every aspect of their investment practice. They will get to put their skills into practice by evaluating real startups from the 500 Startups portfolio. Most importantly, they will become part of an active and vibrant global investor network.

Learn how to:

  • Grow your deal flow
  • Hone your investment thesis and framework
  • Evaluate startup investment opportunities
  • Structure early-stage tech investments
  • Add value to startups
  • Scale and divest
  • Raise your next fund

Key Benefits:

  • Connect with other Asia-focused startup investors as well as INSEAD alumni
  • Get feedback on your investment thesis from 500 Startups Managing Partners and world-renowned INSEAD faculty specialised in VC and entrepreneurship
  • Get fundraising tips and tools for structuring a fund from top VCs in the region
  • Improve your ability to identify and evaluate top startups for your portfolio
  • Build your deal flow

Participant Profile:

  • Current and aspiring VCs
  • Corporate VCs
  • Fund Managers
  • Family Office Managers
  • Angel Investors
  • Investors and other professionals looking to break into VC

 

Download 2017 Brochure

VCUnlocked 2017 Photos

VCUnlocked 2017 Highlights

Faculty

Vikas A. Aggarwal
Vikas A. Aggarwal

Academic Director, Global Private Equity Initiative

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise

Vikas Aggarwal is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise and Academic Co-Director, Global Private Equity Initiative (GPEI) at INSEAD. His research centers on strategy issues in entrepreneurial settings, focusing on venture-backed start-ups as well as larger firms experiencing significant environmental change. He is particularly interested in the interdependencies that occur across multiple strategic decisions and the implications of these decision portfolios for outcomes, such as innovation and long-run performance. His work examines sectors such as biotechnology, software, and the US defence industry, and combines empirical studies with agent-based simulations. Prior to beginning his academic career Professor Aggarwal was an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, where he worked with the founding team of Military.com to develop the start-up’s core revenue streams and grow the company through multiple rounds of venture financing. He also held positions in strategy consulting and investment banking, and served as an independent consultant to a range of firms in the technology and transportation industries. Professor Aggarwal holds a PhD from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT, and an AB in Economics from Princeton University.
Vikas A. Aggarwal

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise

Academic Director, Global Private Equity Initiative