Webinar
Masterclass Live! How Chestnut Street Ventures Evaluates a Deal
Tune into an on-demand presentation hosted by Chestnut Street Ventures Managing Partners Brian Keil and Jonathan Meltzer. In this session, you will discover the framework our team uses to evaluate promising startups, walk through the process, and learn how you, too, can invest in startups just like this through Chestnut Street Ventures.
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Post Webinar Summary
Brian Keil, Managing Partner at Chestnut Street Ventures, introduced the firm and its process for evaluating and underwriting investment opportunities, emphasizing its focus on venture capital for the University of Pennsylvania alumni community. Joined by Jonathan Meltzer, they discussed their disciplined approach, which includes using a scorecard to evaluate deal dynamics, lead investors, company execution, and management teams. Chestnut Street Ventures aims to build wealth for Penn alums through diversified venture portfolios, leveraging both the Chestnut Street and broader Alumni Ventures network, and offering support to Penn’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Chestnut Street Ventures is Alumni Ventures’ fund for Penn alumni and friends of the community.
During this session, we discuss:
- HomeUnderstanding the time horizon of venture investments
- HomePerforming due diligence and reviewing the typical types of materials available in a deal
- HomeWeighing some of the challenges, key risks, and how to factor those into the ultimate decision
- HomeTracking companies after investment and the purpose of portfolio monitoring
- HomeMore details about Chestnut Street Ventures
About Alumni Ventures
Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)
World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Brian is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 20 years of investing experience across a range of industries. Before joining Chestnut Street Ventures, Brian was the Managing Director for New York Ventures, the venture capital arm of the State of New York. Prior to that, he was VP of Strategy & Corporate Development at Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio) and a Managing Director at the Peacock Fund, the venture capital arm of NBC Universal. Before joining the Peacock Fund, Brian worked at GE Capital and Bain & Co. Brian holds an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School and a BS in Industrial Engineering from The University of Southern California.
Jonathan has almost 20 years of investment experience. He previously managed over $300 million of venture capital, private equity, and credit investments at a $1 billion single-family office. Prior to that, Jonathan invested throughout the capital structure of private companies at Ulysses Management and at American Capital, frequently serving as a board member or advisor. Jonathan began his career as an investment banker, spending five years at Wasserstein Perella and at Goldman Sachs. He earned his BS in Economics cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in three years, and his MBA with honors from Columbia Business School.