Corporate Development Course

Lesson 1 • Defining Corporate Development

Establishes what corporate development is and how it differs from investment banking and strategy consulting. Provides the conceptual baseline for the entire course.

Lesson 2 • The Corporate Development Team

Describes team structure, roles, and career paths within a corp dev function. Clarifies how the team interfaces with finance, legal, and operations.

Lesson 3 • Value Creation Frameworks

Introduces the core logic of how transactions create shareholder value. Connects financial theory to practical deal rationale.

Lesson 1 • Key Financial Metrics and Ratios

Introduces the metrics most relevant to deal screening and comparison. Builds the vocabulary used throughout valuation and negotiation chapters.

Lesson 2 • Quality of Earnings Analysis

Teaches how to normalize earnings and assess sustainability of reported profits. Directly informs the EBITDA adjustments used in valuation models.

Lesson 3 • Reading Financial Statements Critically

Covers income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement interpretation with a deal lens. Establishes the analytical foundation for all subsequent valuation work.

Lesson 1 • Comparable Company Analysis

Teaches selection of peer companies and application of trading multiples. Provides market-based context for intrinsic valuation outputs.

Lesson 2 • Valuation Synthesis and Football Field

Combines all three methods into a unified valuation range for decision-making. Prepares students to present and defend valuation conclusions to leadership.

Lesson 3 • Discounted Cash Flow Valuation

Builds a DCF model from free cash flow projections through terminal value. Anchors intrinsic value analysis used in all subsequent deal chapters.

Lesson 4 • Valuation in Special Situations

Extends core methods to distressed assets, high-growth targets, and asset-heavy businesses. Ensures students can handle non-standard valuation scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Proactive Outreach and Relationship Building

Covers how to approach target owners and management before a formal process. Builds the relationship capital that enables proprietary deal flow.

Lesson 2 • Market Mapping and Universe Creation

Teaches methods for building a comprehensive target universe from multiple data sources. Provides the raw material for systematic screening and prioritization.

Lesson 3 • Quantitative Screening and Prioritization

Applies financial and strategic filters to rank targets efficiently. Reduces the universe to a manageable shortlist for deeper evaluation.

Lesson 1 • Legal and Regulatory Diligence

Identifies contractual, litigation, and compliance risks that could affect deal value. Ensures material legal issues are addressed in deal documentation.

Lesson 2 • Due Diligence Planning and Governance

Establishes the structure, timeline, and team responsibilities for a diligence process. Prevents gaps and duplication across financial, legal, and operational workstreams.

Lesson 3 • Synthesizing Diligence into Deal Terms

Translates diligence findings into price adjustments, escrows, and representations. Bridges the gap between analysis and negotiation strategy.

Lesson 4 • Financial and Tax Due Diligence

Covers deep-dive financial analysis beyond quality of earnings, including tax exposure. Findings directly inform purchase price adjustments and representations.

Lesson 1 • Transaction Structure Fundamentals

Introduces asset vs. stock purchase structures and their financial and legal implications. Provides the structural vocabulary needed for all negotiation discussions.

Lesson 2 • Negotiation Strategy and Tactics

Develops a principled negotiation approach for M&A deal terms. Prepares students to manage counterparty dynamics and reach mutually acceptable outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Key Deal Terms and Protections

Reviews the critical provisions in a purchase agreement that protect the buyer. Connects legal terms to the financial and operational risks identified in diligence.

Lesson 4 • Regulatory Approvals and Closing

Covers the process of obtaining required regulatory clearances and closing a transaction. Ensures students can manage the final phase of a deal without delays.

Lesson 1 • Systems and Process Integration

Covers the integration of IT systems, finance processes, and operational workflows. Ensures operational continuity while moving toward a unified operating model.

Lesson 2 • Integration Strategy and Approach

Defines the integration model appropriate to the deal's strategic rationale. Aligns integration depth with value creation priorities established during diligence.

Lesson 3 • Synergy Tracking and Realization

Builds the process for quantifying, tracking, and realizing cost and revenue synergies. Connects integration execution to the financial model assumptions made pre-close.

Lesson 4 • People and Culture Integration

Addresses talent retention, organizational design, and cultural alignment post-close. Mitigates the human capital risks that most frequently derail integrations.

Lesson 1 • Activist Defense and Shareholder Engagement

Prepares students to anticipate and respond to activist shareholder pressure. Connects portfolio strategy to external investor expectations.

Lesson 2 • Minority Investments and Corporate Venture

Examines minority stakes and corporate venture capital as strategic tools. Connects investment thesis to strategic option value rather than pure financial return.

Lesson 3 • Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances

Analyzes when partnerships are preferable to full acquisitions and how to structure them. Addresses governance and exit provisions critical to long-term alliance success.

Lesson 4 • Portfolio Review and Capital Allocation

Teaches frameworks for evaluating business unit performance and allocating capital. Enables corp dev to advise the CEO and board on portfolio composition.