Venture capital - An in-depth look at the due diligence process

Venture capital as an asset class is specifically designed to propel transformational, innovative tech, cleantech and biotech ideas into global market, environmental and patient impact. The VCs themselves get the money to invest from, typically, institutional investors such as pension funds – to whom the VCs owe a fiduciary duty to invest their money in the best way possible (and they get audited to prove it!). Due diligence and independent investment committees are critical parts of a VC investor’s process to fulfil these fiduciary duties. These are intricate and often extended processes of inquiry to understand the nature of the risks being taken in making an investment, and of the potential rewards that could result. This seminar will take an in-depth look at the due diligence process and break it down into its component parts – all of which are aimed at getting an approval from an investment committee to go and make that transformative investment. The goal is to provide a detailed understanding of how best to get a “yes”, and to balance effort versus reward in engaging in that process.

Bio

Simon Goldman is a Partner at AlbionVC, leading the life science investment team, primarily from the UCL Technology Fund. His team focuses on commercialisation of therapeutics, delivery systems, diagnostics and medical devices, principally arising from the UCL knowledge ecosystem.

He completed his PhD (and postdoc) in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, prior to which he worked for seven-and-a-half years at Goldman Sachs JBWere in Melbourne, predominantly on the Healthcare/Biotech and Portfolio Strategy Research teams.

He worked in several roles across the UK and Australian biotech startup sectors before joining the fund in 2015.

Simon is a dedicated – and somewhat evangelical – rock-climber and alpine mountaineer, and an active member of the London and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Choruses. He is a Fellow Commoner of Queens' College, Cambridge.