"As an entrepreneur, you want to negotiate with a venture capitalist or strategic acquirer from a position of strength. Understanding and appreciating the cost of capital—the returns risk capital requires—and the variety of debt and equity instruments with which a deal can be done is critical. VCs do deals everyday but most entrepreneurs need a seminar like this one to have a good idea of the structure of deals, the types of convenants and clauses that can make a deal very expensive for the inexperienced and to hear from entrepreneurs who have been through it. This seminar had some great speakers such as Hal Davis talking about the growth and sale of Bluegill and Jeff Williams describing the road to an IPO in the tough times earlier this year. It is well worth the three days. By understanding and correctly structuring your first round of funding, you will save many headaches later."

"I really enjoyed the Entrepreneurial Finance Seminar. Its structure was perfect, moving from theory to the study of actual business cases, and finishing with an enlightening group criticism of each participant venture presentation. The presenters were friendly and approachable, and Doctor Brophy's sharp sense of humor made the seminar unusually enjoyable. That was the most fruitful 'work' week-end I have spent in a long time. "

"If you want to learn how venture capital works and what it takes to be successful starting a company, this is the right course. Prof. Brophy leads a challenging and fun seminar, the agenda for which is packed with venture capitalists and executives of successful start-ups. You'll gain knowledge that will change your path forward. It's a real world experience, not an academic exercise."

"There is an awesome wealth of knowledge, contacts and networks presented at this seminar. We were given a mini course on entrepreneurial finance by Dr. Brophy, which was both entertaining and educational; introduced to the team of people who were responsible for the success in the sale of a multimillion dollar business and one that went IPO; we had the opportunity to present our business venture in a two minute "open the door" format and most important we were critiqued by a panel of venture and angel funding specialists from Michigan. This seminar is an intensive but because you are so well taken care of, it allows you to focus your energy on learning, networking with people from all over the world and make real contacts in an area that can be intimidating, entrepreneurial finance. Thank you again. "

"It (the Seminar) was very well organized and conducted. The end to end financing focus was quite useful as were the examples of successful start ups. The Center did an excellent job and I would give it an A grade. I think I speak for the majority of the attendees when I say that."

"First of all I'm a Professor Brophy fan so I am probably not an unbiased surveyee. I just think he combines an extensive knowledge of business with a casual approachable style that stimulates interest and participation. I like the seminar agenda. Covering the theory on the first day grounded us in some fundamentals that made the live case study presentations much more meaningful. We pretty much kept to the agenda, but there was enough time to wander into some creative discussions. The dinners and receptions are very effective vehicles for building networks and dealing with very specific questions. It was an intense two and one half days but well worth it.

Kudos!"

 
RETURN TO TOP