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
  • November 4
  • 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 has closed for the Fall 2025 semester. The next cohort will begin shortly before the Spring 2026 semester. More details will be announced soon. Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates about this and other programs/events happening at Tsai CITY.