It has been determined by the membership that this shall be the priority for the 07/08 school year. The idea is to develop a program where members can get the skills necessary to land a position with an investment bank. Investment banking positions are highly competitive and often the first step towards working in private equity later on. The academy is meant to fill the gap between what is learned in class and what banks require of their analyst and associates. The model for the program is The Investment Banking Workshop at Indiana University.

This year’s effort will not be quite that ambitious but should set a foundation for a larger program in 08/09 and subsequent years.

Update:

We are currenlty seeking funding for this initative. The grant proposal can be viewed at www.kupeclub.org/grant.pdf

We would like to partner with a local PE/VC/IB firm to provide the membership with real world exposure to the profession. The general idea is to arrange short duration unpaid internships. The program should be mutually beneficial. Firms will be able to observe talent without risk. Students will be able to get a first hand look at what it really takes to be in the profession.

There is an active PE case competition circuit but it is by invitation only. It is possible to hold our own PE case competition using material published by the organizing entity. PE case competitions are unlike normal case competitions in that instead of being presented with a problem to solve, participants view a presentation by an actual entrepreneur and then make an investment decision. The participants are judged by VC professionals. You can learn more here.

Most core universities hold yearly private equity conferences. One was held by KU back in 2004. It is our intention to eventually hold a conference yearly. The first conference will be much smaller than the 2004 event.