Boston is one of the leading areas in the nation in terms of venture capital invested, following only Silicon Valley, so it only makes sense that you'll be able to find out a lot about venture capital here. You'll learn how to raise money, how venture capitalists will evaluate you and your company, what the typical size of an investment is, and how a typical term sheet works. It's great to meet them and get to know them a bit before you have to pitch them for money. Also, two classmates this year were B-school venture capitalists, investing in student startups before the business plans were even written. In addition to making acquaintances, you can also take entrepreneurial finance classes that allow you to go out and negotiate real team sheets with local venture capitalists.
Several classes cover new product development, new venture creation, and new enterprises in depth.
These classes are taught by successful entrepreneurs and eminent venture capitalists, such as Howard Anderson, founder of the Yankee Group and Battery Ventures. The students come not only from Sloan but also from MIT, which helps to connect business school students with technical geniuses from the Media Lab and other parts of campus. My wife, Bonnie, and I are going through a number of big changes in our lives. Business school is over, and we're building a new house and moving to Texas. I'm also starting to think about my new career at Diamond Technology Partners.