Leadership Spotlight

For some Wharton students, the week after spring finals is time to hit the beach. But for more than 300 Wharton undergraduate and graduate students, it was time for "Boot Camp" – the Wharton Private Equity Boot Camp.

The rigorous program, which took place May 12-13, consisted of nearly 20 hours of sessions such as "Due Diligence Strategies," "Emerging Markets," and "Ethical Responsibilities of the Private Equity Professional."

A partnership of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs (WEP) and the Wharton Private Equity Alumni Network (WPEN), the program's sessions featured faculty – led by WEP Academic Director Raphael "Raffi" Amit – providing instruction alongside some 40 visiting alumni private equity professionals. Stephen Sammut, WG'84, who also teaches private equity at Wharton, was among those instrumental in the Private Equity Boot Camp's development. Sammut took the lead in tapping his fellow WPEN club mates so that students could both learn from and mingle with private equity practitioners representing firms like Sycamore Ventures, Goldman Sachs, and Mellon Ventures.

"WPEN sees this program as a way to help students gain a baseline of knowledge before they enter the industry," said Dean Miller, WG'99, principal of PA Early Stage Funds and president of WPEN. "But also we want to encourage relationships between students and Wharton grads working in private equity, since those contacts are such an important element to success in the private equity business."