On the same hand, the nature of the deal serves to keep the entrepreneur motivated.
Deepak Chandra, Assistant Dean of the Centre for Executive Education at the ISB, shared his thoughts on successful venture capitalists. He said, “The perception of the venture capitalist from the perspective of the entrepreneur is important. For instance, does the entrepreneur feel that she got a raw deal; does she feel supported by the venture capitalist; or does she feel bogged down by reporting requirements and board meetings? Before choosing a venture firm a smart entrepreneur usually talks to companies that the venture capitalist has invested in and especially enquires about the relationship when things weren’t going well with the business. This may make or break a deal with a discriminating entrepreneur.”
In summary, venture capital needs to be looked at from the eyes of the entrepreneurs as well as the investor; there is theory to venture capital as well as soft learning that comes from years of experience. The venture capitalist development course at the ISB brings together all these aspects. So if you are an entrepreneur or a domain expert (in a venture capital relevant field such as IT, telecom, life sciences or finance) and are considering a career shift to venture capital, please visit www.isb.edu/.venturecapital for course details. The course is being launched by the Wadhwani Center of Entrepreneurship Development and the Centre for Executive Education.