Proseminar in Corporate Finance

15.452 Proseminar in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Private Equity

One of three Action Learning courses offered by the MIT Sloan Finance Group, the Proseminar in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Private Equity is a one-semester Action Learning course that offers students experience in the complex task of developing and communicating solutions to the challenging financial problems facing businesses today. Students work in teams to tackle issues posed by host companies and present findings to the host company and their fellow classmates.

Some recent project examples include:

• Providing investment banking advice to a private equity-controlled chemical company, including valuation, analysis, and exit strategies
• Evaluating an acquisition opportunity in the health care market
• Assessing the long-term growth opportunities for a niche financing business

Sample projects

• Create value and reduce risk through insurance programs
• Perform industry screening: identification of distressed assets due to COVID-19
• Understand equity betas in volatile (post-COVID-19) times - balancing the academic vs empirical to guide a CFO
• Forecast demand for municipal bonds and commercial real estate through a new platform
• Decipher investment approach into data centers based on publicly available data
• Build a valuation model of a restaurant chain by rolling up individual store data
• Evaluate an acquisition opportunity in the biotech market 
• Assess the long-term growth opportunities for a niche financing business
• What is the cost of the hedging at a commodity processing company? 
• Analyze a technology company's current financial position and develop a financial plan to match the company's growth strategy
• Provide investment banking advice to a private equity-controlled chemical company, including valuation analysis and exit strategies
• Give recommendations on raising capital for a rapidly growing private company
• Conduct a valuation of two major home construction companies
• Provide investment banking advice to a private company considering an IPO or sale of the company
• Give mergers and acquisitions advice to the CEO of a public company receiving an unsolicited acquisition offer
• Give going-private advice for a closely held, large public corporation
• Learn the value of a captive finance unit to an industrial manufacturer
• Evaluate an acquisition opportunity in the healthcare market

 

Application process

The 2023 student application period is now closed.

Participation in this class is by application only. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting June 20, 2023 at 12:00 pm (the start of bidding round IB) through August 11, 2023 at 12:00pm. Students are allowed to submit applications individually or in groups of up to 6 students. Students are allowed to form groups across programs. Before submitting your application, please read the project descriptions carefully. Projects will be finalized by Friday, June 16, EOD.  The link to project descriptions is provided in the syllabus, which is on the Sloan course browser.

Fall 2023 host companies:

• Apollo Global Management (real estate practice) 
• Bain & Company (private equity practice) 
• Goldman Sachs
• JP Morgan
• McKinsey (strategy and corporate finance practice)
• Partners Group
• The Carlyle Group

Your application package should contain the following:

• Cover letter. One per group. In your cover letter:
  • Rank the top 3 projects you would like to participate in from 1, as the top choice, down to 3. All group members must agree on the ranking.
  • Clearly state if you are open to working on any of the projects, to potentially maximize your chances of getting a seat in this class.
  • Discuss any experience relevant to the project topics and/or skills required to succeed.
  • For each group member, provide MIT ID number and MIT email address.
• Resumé/CV for each group member
• Unofficial transcript (for second-year MBA students and returning MFins)

The Proseminar in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Private Equity

The Proseminar in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Private Equity is a one-semester course that offers students experience in developing and communicating solutions to challenging financial problems facing businesses today. Students work in teams to tackle issues posed by host companies and present findings to the host company and their fellow classmates.

Interested in becoming a host?

For more information about hosting a relevant project for the Proseminar in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Private Equity, please contact Egor Matveyev.

Who can host a project?

Companies or business entities with real, challenging problems in corporate finance, investment banking, and private equity are eligible to host a proseminar project. While we often refer to host companies as 'clients,' the reality is that hosts are leaders in their field who give their time and experience to engage students in this educational experience. Acting as a host also helps to build a productive, long-term relationship between the company and MIT Sloan.

What is involved in being a project host?

Before the proseminar class begins, host companies provide a written statement of their company’s problem and any materials they believe may be helpful in orienting the student team. After the teams have had a chance to familiarize themselves with the problem—but before the intensive work is performed—host companies conduct one telephone conference with the team or teams working on their problem to establish a clearer idea of the problem and address any questions the students may have. During the intensive work phase, teams may have additional questions, and the class instructor will coordinate how communication in this phase is managed based on guidance from the host company. At the end of the project, host companies will attend a class session at which the student teams will present their solutions. A written copy of the presentation will be sent to the host company in advance.

Read more about the proseminar in corporate finance, Investment banking, and Private equity