Private Equity Diploma

Private equity has grown from a cottage industry in the 1970s to a multibillion-dollar asset class, which plays an important role in the global economy. Emerging markets have grown even faster and now represent over twenty percent of the total global private equity market. Markets such as Egypt, with their growing middle class and significant population; are poised to enjoy a private equity boom, as investors from Europe, the Gulf, and others seek ways to place their capital in growing Egyptian companies.

A career in private equity today in this region means a pathway towards financial success and making a substantial contribution to the country’s development. Being a General Partner of a successful private equity fund is true to be sitting on the top of the ‘food chain’ in finance. This diploma can help participants get there.

The diploma is designed to provide participants with a world-class skill set that will enable them to find, make, manage and exit successful private equity deals. In addition, the diploma will cover all aspects of private equity starting from forming a fund, fundraising, looking at the organization, management, economics, and regulation of the fund managers themselves. An essential part of this is having the ability to create value and achieve successful exits and this will be an important focus of the diploma.

• Get a global overview of the private equity market and its trends, including emerging markets
• Learn how to develop and screen a pipeline of potential deals through engaging with entrepreneurs and their companies, and understanding their motivation
• Master company valuation private equity style, going beyond the ‘textbook’ approaches by incorporating the complexities of exit and layers of financial instruments
• Solve otherwise deal breaker situations, by getting an insight into the creative deal approach to the structuring of private equity investors
• Develop the in-depth instincts necessary for effective due diligence and learn how to project-manage external partners and service providers during a transaction
• Learn to have a long term view, by planning for years ahead of the investment at the time the deal is structured
• Appreciate the importance of being exit-driven in the selection of investments, in the structuring of the deal, and in having flexibility in exit routes
• Understand how to raise a private equity fund by pitching to potential investors
• Have a deep insight into all the complexities of fund management regulation, documentation, and economics
• Have powerful “number crunching” skills to help close deals
• Know how to align the interests and agendas of all stakeholders through the deal cycle

• Analysts in venture capital funds 
• Analysts in private equity funds
• Investment officers in investment departments in banks
• Analysts in investment banks
• Investment officers at operational companies
• Professionals in banking, accounting, legal, or other advisory services to the investment industry
• General partners of private equity and venture capital firms
• Professionals working in private sector development and developmental financial institutions
• Professionals working for government regulatory departments

A. Core Courses

The Private Equity Ecosystem (27 hrs)

This course will provide an overview of the venture capital and private equity world as an alternative investment, including key players and various types of funds, fundraising processes, different investment themes, the main actors of the ecosystem, the subclasses of private equity, and recent trends such as secondaries, impact investment and the growing importance of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) integration. The very topical and complex question of performance of private equity funds will also be explored, including return measures, value attribution analysis, public market equivalent benchmarking, and persistence across fund vintages.

Private Equity Fund Organization (18 hrs)

This course delves into the critical components of forming a private equity fund, examining reporting protocols and valuation techniques. Participants will also gain insights into the structural blueprints for fund and fund manager establishment, alongside the dynamics of investor (LP) and fund manager interactions. Additionally, the course will scrutinize the methodologies investors (LPs) employ to assess and navigate the risks inherent in private equity investments.

The course will then dig deeper into the economics of private equity funds such as management fees, carried interest, and waterfall distributions. A comprehensive review of the Egyptian legal context for private equity funds will be conducted, covering various fund structures as dictated by local regulations and considering the implications of regulatory policy shifts.

Financial Analysis (18 hrs)

This course will provide the participants with a full review of the content of the major financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. The course examines the financial strengths, ratios, inventories, long-lived assets, income taxes, and capital structure. Participants will be exposed to a comprehensive financial statement analysis framework that integrates strategy, financial reporting, financial analysis and the application of this framework and the tools to fundamental analysis, also taking into account variances between different sectors.

Valuation Methods (18 hrs)

The complexities of valuation in private equity are due to the exit-driven approach of the investment strategy and the challenges of valuing young companies.  

This means that private equity valuation needs to go beyond the 'textbook' approach of a basic corporate finance course. In the course, we review the two main valuation methods of Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Multiples and adapt them to work with private equity investments. We outline the different nuances in the valuation approach for the three private equity subsets of buyouts, growth, and venture.  We go beyond the overall valuation of a company, and take into consideration the impact of different classes of financial instruments and complex deal structures and how this impacts valuation. We review in detail the established standard principles for private equity valuation issued by the professional association IPEV.  We work through the building of an effective private equity-style business plan.

Deal Making (27 hrs)

This course follows private equity funds through their investment process. The course shows in detail how private equity runs the process from spotting different opportunities to closing on the most profitable one. The course will follow the key stages of pipeline development and deal sourcing, screening investments, and then processing investments.  

The course discusses the way in which private equity fund managers engage and work with entrepreneurs. The course will also cover all main legal aspects of private equity investment, assessing the key issues and risks for a local target company (i.e. due diligence process), drafting and negotiating the transaction documentation, and setting the investment and exit strategies and scenarios. The course will also discuss the different types of financial instruments used to make private equity investments, and the complex deal structures often employed by private equity fund managers.

Portfolio Management (18 hrs)

This course enables the participants to learn the principles of investment portfolio management and create value approaches for professionals in this area. The course illustrates the process of value addition to portfolio companies, through hands-on involvement by the fund manager in the areas of strategy, human resources, and corporate governance upgrading.  

The course also explains how fund managers are adept at exerting influence and sharing control with other shareholders. It also touches on how a private equity fund manager can set up and manage an operating partner program and how a private equity board member drives value.

Exit Strategies (15 hrs)

This course covers the key considerations that drive the exit process and how to exit shaping impacts various stages of the investment process. It also explains the main exit strategies employed by private equity funds, highlighting not only the processes but also the motivations of the various parties involved. 

The four main exit routes, strategic sale, Initial Public Offering (IPO), secondary exit, and structured exit are analyzed in detail with the use of case studies. The strategy of a Plan “B” added to the main exit route is also explained. The course also distinguishes between the three important aspects of private equity exit: structuring the exit at the time of investment, managing and grooming the company for exit during the holding period, and preparing the company for exit and managing an exit process.

B. Business Acumen (Self-Paced Online)

Effectively operating within a business setting and having a positive contribution require a certain set of skills and competencies. The business acumen courses explore critical 21st-century skills needed for today’s business world, enabling passion and speed in dealing with different business situations.

To check out the full list of our Business Acumen courses, click here.

Admission Criteria

• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of five years of relevant work experience
• Proficiency in written and spoken English

Admission Process

1. Prepare a clear scanned copy of the following documents (saved in PDF format):
   1. Original bachelor’s degree certificate
   2. National identification card (ID)/passport
2. Fill in the application and upload the above PDF documents
3. The Admissions Committee will review your application and contact you if needed
4. You will receive an acceptance email specifying the next steps for online payment. Your registration is confirmed upon payment.

For any inquiries, contact 15592 or by email.