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Masterclass Live! Venture Capital 101

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Watch an on-demand presentation hosted by Waterman Ventures Managing Partner Ludwig Schulze. 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 Waterman Ventures.

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Post Webinar Summary

Ludwig Schulze, managing partner at Alumni Ventures, presented a webinar discussing the firm’s approach to venture capital investing. Schultz outlined Alumni Ventures’ history, noting its $1.3 billion raised since 2014 and investment in over 1300 startups. He introduced various alumni-specific funds (116th Street, Waterman, and Bleecker Street Ventures) and highlighted the firm’s strategy of co-investing with established venture capital firms to mitigate risk. Schultz provided an overview of venture capital stages, investment strategies, and portfolio diversification across sectors and geographies. He also discussed potential returns and the benefits of venture capital, including performance and diversification, while stressing the importance of patience and risk tolerance for investors. Finally, Schultz encouraged attendees to explore further information or schedule one-on-one discussions with Alumni Ventures’ senior partners.

Waterman Ventures is Alumni Ventures’ fund for Brown alumni and friends of the community.

During this session, we discussed:

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    Understanding the time horizon of venture investments
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    Performing due diligence and reviewing the typical types of materials available in a deal
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    Weighing some of the challenges, key risks, and how to factor those into the ultimate decision
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    Tracking companies after investment and the purpose of portfolio monitoring
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    More details about Waterman Ventures

Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures. 

About your presenter

Ludwig Pierre Schulze
Ludwig Pierre Schulze

Managing Partner, Waterman Ventures

Ludwig has been on all sides of venture — as an entrepreneur, corporate buyer of ventures, and venture capitalist. Before Alumni Ventures, he experienced the daily realities of entrepreneurship as Founder and CEO of a mobile payments venture that served over 12 million people. Earlier, at a Fortune 100 telecommunications manufacturer (Nokia), he held general manager and business development roles that included investing in and acquiring venture-backed businesses. His first experience in venture capital was with an $800 million global fund that focused on enterprise and mobile software both before and after the dot.com crash. Ludwig began his career as a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He has a BA from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia. He lives in NYC with his wife and 2 teenagers.

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