Get fluent in venture capital, and leave with the work to prove it.
Venture capital moves faster than the blogs, books, and podcasts that explain it. The structures, the terms, and the way deals get done keep changing, and studying on your own often means learning it late, alone, and out of order. Learning that way worked well enough to earn me a Kauffman Fellowship, but I would have benefited from learning with peers and a trusted guide.
That's why I designed this course. It's for aspiring angels, emerging managers, and operators who want to invest with conviction. It also works for founders who want appreciate fundraising from the investor lens.
Over 6 live sessions you'll write an investment write a thesis, mark up 2 real term sheets, analyze a cap table, and write an investment memo,
You leave with: a primer on the key transaction terms, a thesis worksheet, a memo template, two real term sheets, a diligence request list, and more, all of it a portfolio that illustrates your POV and potential.
Maven's CEO cited the Venture Fluent syllabus as a model for instructors. We've run 3 cohorts, and students rate it 4.9 out of 5 stars. Each session ends with open office hours, and you get feedback on your work from me and from your peers.
What you’ll learn
Venture Fluent is a live, online, cohort-based course that demystifies the jargon, and lingo of venture capital.
Prototype your thesis with MUST, my original framework for turning a belief about the future into a plan for writing your next check.
Share your thesis with your peers and refine it based on feedback you receive from students and the instructor.
Identify high-potential entrepreneurs using the best academic research on team dynamics and approaches used by the most successful VCs.
Share your read on a real founding team with your peers, and refine it with feedback from students and the instructor
Prioritize the risks that matter using the largest academic study of how investors decide and the due diligence processes real firms run.
Debate a landmark seed memo in class, arguing both the investment and the pass before anyone learns how the deal turned out.
Share the questions that would change your mind with your peers, and refine them with feedback from students and the instructor.
Work through two real term sheets, a priced round and a convertible note, and learn what the key economic and control terms mean.
Compare equity, convertible debt, and SAFEs, and learn how each security changes what the founder keeps and what the investor owns.
Identify the one term you would fight hardest for, and refine your reasoning with feedback from your peers and the instructor.
Draft your memo using my template, and practice the discipline of advocating for an investment with conviction.
Present your memo to the room and field questions from your peers and the instructor.
Compare the real paths into venture, angel investing, raising a first fund, joining a firm, and investing from inside an operating role.
Put your questions to working investors in a live session, and hear how they got their seats and what they would do differently.
Name the next step you will take, and pressure-test it with feedback from your peers and the instructor.
Learn directly from Jorge
Jorge M. Torres
Faculty @ Yale & Cornell Tech | Kauffman Fellow and former early-stage investor
Who this course is for
You've had professional success and want to start angel investing, create your own fund, or find a role in the VC industry.
You've studied VC on your own but crave the community of peers who can support you as you accelerate your learning.
You're ready to create a go-to-market plan for finding and supporting the world's best entrepreneurs.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Jorge M. Torres in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Course syllabus
13 lessons • 6 projects
Week 1
Module 1: Thesis-Driven Investing
Week 2
Module 2: Talent & Originating Deals
Schedule
Live sessions
2-3 hrs / week
Live sessions run for 2 hours with a break; the final 30 minutes is optional open office hours.
Projects
1-2 hrs / week
The more you invest between sessions, the more the course returns. I know your week is full, so I label every assignment by the time it takes: a core hour to stay with the class, deeper reading when you have room, and a bonus shelf for the weeks you want more.
Async content
1 hr / week
Every module has a bonus shelf: the readings that didn't fit in class, the primary sources that underly the frameworks, and the articles and books you can read after the course ends. Take it in during those weeks you extra time.
Frequently asked questions
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