Role of VC in the economy - Importance and impact of venture capitalists in driving economic growth and innovation.

Risks and rewards of a VC - Risks and rewards associated with venture capital investments and their potential impact on investors and start-ups.

Critical challenges of VC in the current business environment - Identifying the obstacles and hurdles venture capitalists face in the current dynamic business landscape.

Balancing growth and resilience – Understanding strategies to ensure growth that translates into long-term value. Evaluating a start-up’s competitive landscape to understand resilience

Overview of financial statements - Understanding the basic structure and purpose of financial metrics taking recent Indian/USA start-up’s use-cases for discussion.

Growth and sustainability measures - Identifying and analyzing key performance metrics that measure various aspects of a start-up’s growth and profitability.

Beyond headline forecasts – Understanding the costs, drivers, and sustainability of projected revenue forecasts.

Balancing growth and risk - Managing the trade-off between pursuing “risky” growth opportunities while mitigating unnecessary risks.

Valuation frameworks - Comparing and contrasting various valuation methods discounted cash flow, market multiples, and venture capital methods, and their suitability for different stages of a startup's growth.

Drivers of value - Identifying the key factors that drive the value of a startup, such as market size, market environment, actual addressable market, competitive advantages, and management team, and their importance in attracting investment and achieving growth.

Pitfalls in valuing earnings and growth – Sanity checks on potential valuation estimates.

Value of intangible assets - Exploring the valuation of non-physical assets, such as intellectual property, brand equity, customer acquisition & retention, and the capabilities to use these assets.

Valuation mini-cases: Paytm and WeWork

Accruals – the heart of accounting - Understanding the fundamental principles of accrual accounting, and how it differs from cash-based accounting.

Earnings management – incentives and breeding grounds - Exploring the ethical and financial implications of earnings management practices and the factors contributing to their prevalence in start-up accounting.

Red flag analysis to identify earnings management.

Examining most common areas in accounting that involve subjectivity in measurement, specifically - Revenue recognition, Expensing vs. capitalization, accounting for intangibles, etc.

Importance of context and market conditions - Recognizing the importance of contextual factors and market conditions in interpreting and evaluating a start-up’s financial performance and value and their implications for decision-making.

Tax planning – Understanding a startup's tax liability and getting familiar with techniques adopted to minimize tax.

Cross holdings and related party transactions - Analysing the impact of transactions (including related party transactions) and investments between companies under common ownership or control.

The role of external auditor - Examining the role of external auditors in evaluating and reporting a startup's financial performance and value and the importance of effective communication and collaboration between the auditor and the board.

Evaluating an audit report - Analysing the content of an audit report, understanding the auditor's opinion, and identifying potential areas of concern or improvement.

Risk assessment - Identify and evaluate internal and external risks that could impact an organization's performance and potential solutions to manage those risks.

The role of Pro-forma / non-GAAP earnings - Defining and understanding the significance of pro-forma or non-GAAP earnings in measuring a company's financial performance.

The responsibilities of a board - Defining the role and accountability of a board of directors in overseeing the management and direction of a company.

Importance of independent directors - Value of having independent directors on the board and their role and responsibility in ensuring effective corporate governance.

Role of the board beyond compliance - Defining the responsibilities and obligations of a board to protect small investors and enhance growth.

Thumb rules for good corporate governance - Defining and understanding the best corporate governance practices for effective decision-making and risk management.

Giving voice to values in the Boardroom - Promoting ethical behavior and encouraging people to speak up and express their values and beliefs in a boardroom setting.

Corporate governance and firm value (Mini-cases): Theranos and WeWork