Key information

Teaching department:  UCL School of Management
Credit value:  15
Restrictions:  This module is only available to UCL MBA students. You must have first completed the Business Economics module.

Innovative organisations – established or start-up – often need to raise capital from external sources to finance projects and expansion. Typical sources include venture capital, business angels and crowdfunding among others. This module introduces, explores and evaluates the steps on the entrepreneurial funding ladder. It identifies the main forms of entrepreneurial finance within the investment process; shows how private equity and venture capital funds, business angels and crowdfunding platforms work; specifies how organisations become investment-ready, raise external finance and how they divest and exit. The practicalities of the impacts of differing packages of differing sources of funding with differing costs of capital and terms and conditions are analysed and critiqued. Additionally, project and expansion plans are prepared combining financial matters with business landscape considerations.

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• understand key concepts and theories concerning types, processes and models of entrepreneurial finance (including private equity, venture capital, business angels and crowdfunding) in different local, national and international contexts
• understand the role of entrepreneurial finance in supporting the entrepreneurial process and organisational growth
• assess and evaluate the challenges of different entrepreneurial finance models in regards to leadership, strategy, organisational structure and behaviour
• identify and explore the techniques for innovation finance management
• relate different finance models to support innovation-related organisations or projects within firms
• prepare robust and financially sound proposals for plans and projects that take account of a range of relevant non-financial considerations
• discuss and debate module topics with leaders from other cultures and industries.

Methods of assessment:

Mark scheme:  Letter grades

Module leader:  Alan Parkinson

Who to contact for more information:  admissions@onlinelearning.ucl.ac.uk