PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort) is a cohort-based, blended-learning program that combines self-directed asynchronous online learning with live online intensive discussions, case analyses, and small group meetings with other Board Directors. The program draws upon academic research and current governance practices, with a focus on providing participants with practical skills and strategies to enable them to make a significant difference in the governance of their portfolio companies upon program completion.
In addition, the program will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect upon their own board experiences and share those experiences with their peers.
PROGRAM DATE:
Online: April 12 and 19, 2023
In Person: April 26 and 27, 2023
Location:
Online and in-person at Vantage Venues in Toronto — 150 King Street West
PRICE:
$6000
CVCA Members receive a 20% discount.
APPLY TODAY
To apply for the program or request more information, please follow the link below. Someone will get back to you shortly with a confirmation of receipt and next steps.
VENTURE COHORT Program Outline
This is a blended-learning program, and participants will be expected to review asynchronous content ahead of the module deliveries. There will be approximately 1.5 hours of asynchronous material to cover in Module 1, and 2.5 hours of asynchronous material to cover in Module 2.
MODULE 1
Full-Day Session — Online Delivery
Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 10am – 4pm EST
- Program Welcome: Participant Introductions
- Characteristics of an Effective Director & Board
- Key Director Duties
- CEO Panel Discussion
- Break-Out Case Discussion: Identifying and responding to potential conflicts on an early-stage board
MODULE 2
Full-Day Session — Online Delivery
Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 10am – 4pm EST
- Discharging Board Responsibilities
- Specialized VC Governance Mechanisms (Form, Function and Best Practices)
- VC Governance Best Practices
- Expert Panel Discussion
- Break-Out Case Discussion: Responding to Governance and Other Implications of Term Sheets
MODULE 3
Full-Day Session — In Person
Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 9am – 6:30pm EST
- Specialized VC Compensation Mechanisms: Form, Function and Best Practices
- Achieving Alignment in VC Situations
- Networking Lunch
- Emerging Governance Issues (Purpose, ESG, DEI)
- Break-Out Case Discussion: Responding to Governance and Other Implications of Strategic Alternatives
- Networking and Cocktails
MODULE 4
Full-Day Session — In Person
Wednesday, April 27, 2023, 9am – 5pm EST
- Break-Out Case Discussion: Responding to Governance and Other Implications of A Proposed Transaction
- Case Simulation: First Audit Committee meeting of a newly created Board
- Key Roles and Responsibilities of an Audit Committee
- Case Simulation: First board meeting following the acceptance of a Series A term sheet; Establishing processes for good governance
- Fireside Chat
- Graduation Ceremony and Networking
REQUEST A COPY OF THE DETAILED PROGRAM OUTLINE
Submit your request to CVCA for a detailed program outline by filling out the form below.
Who should apply?
The Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort) program will benefit venture capital investors, independent directors and CEOs who currently serve as board directors. The program will refresh participants’ understanding of best practices and provide insights about recent corporate governance developments.
To apply for the program or request more information, please fill out this form.
Someone will get back to you shortly with a confirmation of receipt and next steps.
Successful applicants will have extensive experience serving as directors and/or observers on venture capital-backed boards.
What you will learn
Upon completion of the Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort) program, participants will increase their ability to:
- Identify potential director conflicts that can occur on a VC-backed board and develop techniques for addressing these conflicts
- Help the board create processes to develop and sustain long-term strategic value and operational efficiencies
- Develop board best practices for decision making in difficult situations, e.g., when a CEO replacement is being considered, when there are disagreements during financing rounds (including during down rounds), during asset dispositions, during disagreements about a financing offer versus an offer to be acquired, during a corporate sale or a dissolution (these processes have been identified in court rulings of VC involved lawsuits)
- React to changing societal corporate governance expectations and their implications for VC-backed boards
How you will learn
The Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort) will be delivered as a blended learning program with live online content and in-class sessions. Sessions will be delivered through faculty presentations, case studies, group discussions, and expert panels with board directors, you’ll explore board issues that you can apply to your own portfolio company boards.
What you get out of it
In addition to sharpening your skills as a high-performing board director, upon completion of the Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort) you will receive a unique digital and paper Certificate of Completion from the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) and the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). This document will showcase your achievements and commitment to board governance.
Private Capital Governance Program Faculty
academic director
Dr. Michael Robinson, CFA, ICD.D
Dr. Robinson is a Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance in the Haskayne School of Business, at The University of Calgary. He holds a Ph.D. in finance and an MBA from the Ivey School at the University of Western Ontario, as well as a B. Math (Co-op Computer Science) from the University of Waterloo. He holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the certified corporate director (ICD.D) designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in Toronto, Ontario.
Michael has published several books and academic research papers that study Canadian capital markets, market efficiency, and methods of raising equity capital for developing firms. His most recent interests include corporate governance practices in Canada and the role of a firm’s board of directors in growth-oriented firms. He is the Co-Academic Director of Haskayne’s offering of the ICD-Rotman DEP program, was the first site lead and continues as the Academic Director of the Creative Destruction Lab Rockies program, and created and delivered Canada’s first Private Equity Governance program in 2020.
Dr. Robinson has non-academic work experience as a computer programmer and systems analyst, and in the late 1990s he worked as a Venture Capitalist while on a three-year leave from the University of Calgary. In this later position he was the lead investor for several multi-million dollar investments in high technology firms in Western Canada. He has served on public, private, not-for-profit, professional association, and government agency boards at various points in his career.
