Intensive: Investing in Innovation

The Investing in Innovation intensive introduces participants to the mindsets, frameworks, and practices that investors use to partner with high-potential innovative early-stage ventures.

cohort eating

The Investing in Innovation Intensive is a hands-on, project-based workshop series where students learn how to invest in innovative, early-stage ventures. This cohort-based program is open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students currently enrolled at Yale who can commit to participating in a 6-session program that runs from September 23- November 11.

Who this program is for: 

  • All currently enrolled Yale students.
  • Students who are curious about the purpose and practices of venture capital investing.
  • Students who may want to pursue professional opportunities in the venture capital field.
  • Student entrepreneurs who want to learn more about the ways that venture capitalists evaluate opportunities to invest in startup companies.

The core program components include:

  • Weekly in-person sessions that will include training, occasional guest speaker conversations, and opportunities for students to present their work.
  • The preparation of an investment memo and deep-dive analysis of a nascent market, new technology, or emerging consumer behavior.

By completing the intensive, students will:

  • Develop marketable skills such as evaluating the merits of a proposed investment, pitching an investment in a startup, and analyzing the important trends shaping innovation today.
  • Create a portfolio of project-based work they can use to demonstrate their knowledge of venture capital and communicate their investing lens.
  • Receive mentorship from Tsai CITY partners and staff.

Intensive Schedule

The intensive will meet at Tsai CITY on the following Tuesdays from 4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.:

  • September 23
  • September 30
  • October 7
  • October 21
  • October 28
  • November 11

Students who want to participate remotely will be accommodated in the case of illness or other exceptional circumstances.

*The application process for the Investing in Innovation intensive will begin prior to the Fall 2025 semester. Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates about this and other programs/events happening at Tsai CITY.