Wednesday, February 10th 2021

11:00 - 11:45 CT

KEYNOTE

Heather Smith Thorne

Kellogg ‘06

Partner, TPG Growth

Private Equity Thought Leadership: Trends & Outlook

Moderator: Francesca Cornelli – Dean, Kellogg School of Management

Heather Smith Thorne is a tenured Consumer investor and a Partner at TPG Growth. Join us in a discussion on private equity investing, catalysts to growth going forward, and the outlook of the industry. 

12:00 - 12:45 CT

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

PRIVATE EQUITY DEEP DIVES

Private Equity: Where and how are PE firms investing today?

The PE industry has experienced record capital inflows in recent years creating intense competition. Join our PE thought leaders for a discussion on the changing PE landscape and where they are looking for opportunities today. Learn what areas our thought leaders find compelling, how they gain conviction and how they differentiate themselves from the competition.

• Beth Hoffman (Kellogg ’97) – Managing Director, Berkshire Partners

• Ram Jagannath (Kellogg ’07) – Senior Managing Director, Blackstone

• Joshua Kogan – Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP (moderator)

Healthcare Investing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Join our panel of healthcare private equity experts as they discuss the challenges and opportunities in healthcare investing created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Tim Sullivan – Managing Director, Healthcare, Madison Dearborn

• Todd Sisitsky – co-Managing Partner of TPG Capital, co-head of Healthcare Practice

• Harry Kraemer (Kellogg ’79) – Executive Partner, Madison Dearborn; Professor, Kellogg - moderator

Post-Investment Value Creation

Interested in learning how to drive value creation following an investment? Join us for the Post-investment Value Creation Panel where we will explore topics including creating business strategies, implementing operational improvements and positioning businesses for scalable growth from the perspective of both investors and operators.

• Scott Gilbertson (Kellogg ’96) – Partner, TPG Growth

• Devin Mathews – Partner and Co-Founder, ParkerGale

• Karin O’Connor (Kellogg ’89) – Professor and Executive Director, Heizer Center, Kellogg - moderator

4:00 - 4:45 CT

KEYNOTE

Sima Sistani

Kellogg ‘09

CEO and Co-Founder, Houseparty

Entrepreneurial Perspectives: Partnering with Outside Capital to Grow and Scale Firms

Sima Sistani, CEO and Co-Founder of Houseparty, raised Series C capital from Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, and other firms before selling Houseparty to Epic Games – the producer of Fortnite – to bring video chatting capabilities to its massive and growing gaming platform. Join us in a discussion from an entrepreneur’s perspective on fundraising, partnering with outside capital to grow and scale your business, and the outlook of the technology industry.

5:00 - 5:45 CT

KEYNOTE

Henri Pierre-Jacques

NU ‘13

Managing Partner, Harlem Capital

Turning Words into Action: Founding a Venture Capital Firm

Moderator: Kip Kirkpatrick (Kellogg ’97), Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Vistria Group

Henri Pierre-Jacques saw an opportunity to change the face of entrepreneurship by creating his own venture capital firm Harlem Capital Partners and set out on a mission to invest in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. Join us in a discussion with Henri on founding your own VC firm, being a young entrepreneur, and high conviction investment themes for 2021 and beyond.

Thursday, February 11th 2021

12:00 - 12:45 CT

KEYNOTE

Woody Marshall

Kellogg ‘96

General Partner, TCV

Venture Capital Thought Leadership: Trends & Outlook

Moderator: Francesca Cornelli – Dean, Kellogg School of Management

Woody Marshall is a tenured venture capital investor and who has led numerous investments in FinTech, internet and digital media and entertainment industries. Join us for a discussion on venture capital investing and the outlook of the industry.

5:00 - 5:45 CT

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

VENTURE CAPITAL DEEP DIVES

Technology Innovation & the Evolving Landscape

The landscape of technology investing continues to evolve. Join us in a deep dive discussion about technology investing, current investment themes, and the outlook for the future of the industry.  

• Rashmi Gopinath (Kellogg ‘11) –  General Partner, B Capital Group

• Peter Sonsini (Kellogg ‘96) – General Partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA)

• Mohan Sawhney – Associate Dean of Digital Innovation, Kellogg (moderator)

Trends in Consumer, Food, and Beverage

Join our panel of consumer, food, and beverage-focused venture capital experts as they discuss the recent trends in the industries where they believe they can push the boundaries of what's possible through investment and value creation.

• Ray Lane – Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Great Point Ventures

• Jacob Shapiro – Principal, Cleveland Avenue

• Aaron Rudberg (Kellogg ‘07) – Managing Director, S2G

• Matt Autrey – Principal, Adams Street (moderator)

Investing in Emerging Markets

2019 marked records for venture investments in emerging private capital markets, including Africa, LatAm, Southeast Asia, India and CEE/CIS, more than doubling (in dollar terms) since 2014. While the COVID-19 global health pandemic has impacted the steady growth trajectory, opportunities remain for innovation in healthcare, technology, education and consumer businesses. Join a discussion with Claire Diaz Ortiz, an investing partner at Magma Partners, Nazar Yasin, Managing Partner and Founder of Rise Capital, and Jalak Jobanputra, Managing Partner at Future Perfect Ventures, on trends driving the flow of capital to emerging markets. 

• Claire Diaz Ortiz – Partner, Magma Partners

• Jalak Jobanputra (Kellogg ‘99) – Managing Partner, FuturePerfect Ventures

• Nazar Yasin (Kellogg ‘06) – Partner, Rise Capital

• Jose Liberti – Joseph Jr. and Carole Levy Chair in Entrepreneurship & Clinical Professor of Finance, Kellogg (moderator)

KEYNOTES

Pre-Conference Workshops

WEDS JAN 27 2021

12:00 - 2:00 PM

PE & VC 101

PE 101:

The Kellogg Private Equity club will lead a "PE 101" session, which will consist of an overview of what Private Equity (PE) investments and LBOs are, the different types of PE deals, the structure of PE firms, the PE fund lifecycle, and fundraising/asset flow trends within the industry. This session is geared towards all students attending the PE/VC Conference with the intent of providing the high-level working knowledge necessary to fully appreciate the PE portion of the PE/VC conference panels. 

VC 101:

The Kellogg Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club will lead a “VC 101” session overviewing what venture is, stages of VC investing, key verticals and industries, and general industry trends. This session is geared towards all students interested in venture capital and will cover and explain some of the key lingo inherent to the industry.

WEDS FEB 3 2021

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Deep Dives:

PE 201

Harry Kraemer, partner with Madison Dearborn Partners, Northwestern Kellogg's 2008 professor of the year, former CEO of Baxter International, and author of two bestselling leadership books, will discuss his experiences in PE, his perspective on the growing role of value creation beyond investing in driving PE fund performance, and the evolving environment of healthcare PE investing in the post-COVID-19 world. Though all students are welcome, this session is geared towards students looking to pursue a Private Equity career. Time will be included towards the end of the session for Q&A.