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Advanced Certificate in Venture Capital Module 4: Due Diligence Techniques and Methodologies

  • Finance & Investment
Next Intake: 2 Oct 2025 (Thu)
  • Basic
  • SkillsFuture
  • Short Courses
  • This module is part of Advanced Certificate in Venture Capital
Next course starts on
2 Oct 2025 (Thu) See Full Schedule
Fee
SGD2,180* (as low as SGD254 after maximum funding) Learn More
Duration

2 days

Level
Basic

Who Should Attend

Entrepreneurs and business professionals interested to understand how Venture Capitalists (VCs) operate to better prepare or differentiate their companies for investments by VCs.

Finance professionals interested to equip themselves with a comprehensive appreciation of the Venture Capital industry and its practices.

Pre-requisites:

Participants should have at least 2 years of working experience with interest in Venture Capital management/ practices; Tertiary qualifications.

Overview

Due diligence is an important process employed by Venture Capitalists (VCs) to formulate the right price for fund raising and pre-IPO decisions.

Due diligence performed well will enable the VCs to acquire insights into the real situation of the target company’s business, assets, capabilities, and financial performance, as well as the potential issues that may surface during the integration, strategy alignment/ portfolio management process.

This module focuses on the different due diligence techniques commonly employed by VCs and family offices.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the 2-day module, participants will be able to:

  • Appreciate and apply key concepts in the due diligence process
  • Implement a term sheet negotiation strategy
  • Develop a comprehensive due diligence checklist comprising financial disclosures, regulatory issues and ethics and integrity of the founders’ teams
  • Design and implement a term sheet framework that takes into consideration common challenges during the due diligence process

Topic/Structure

Day 1:

An overview to due diligence key guidelines principles in VC industry:

  • Financial;  Legal & Regulatory;  Operation;  Organization behaviors & Leadership;  Strategic differences across different jurisdictions and cultures;  Valuation principles;  Deal Documentation;  Related party transactions;  Apply a basic checklist to execute a due diligence process for a start-up
  • Do a self-exercise and class room discussion

 

Day 2:

Implement a Term Sheet Framework:

  • Introduce the components and key concept of a Term Sheet.
  • Appreciate the challenges and manage the negotiation process for term sheets
  • Apply and implement a term sheet strategy

A Due Diligence Game:

  • An interactive game with participants with a learning framework to master and apply key concepts in due diligence across multiple jurisdictions and cultures
  • Apply the term sheet framework in a self-exercise to provide insights and reflection to improve in future negotiation with term sheets commonly used in global venture capital
  • Assessment;  Closing Debrief and Feedback

Assessment

There will be presentation or written assessments for each module. 

Participants have to meet a minimum attendance rate of 75% and have to complete all assessment(s) required by the course. Only upon meeting the minimum attendance and passing the assessment will participants be issued a Certificate of Completion.

Participants who fail the assessment will be given a chance for re-assessment at a fee of SGD100.00 (excluding prevailing GST). Each participant is allowed 1 re-assessment. The re-assessment has to be taken within 7 calendar days from the end of the course date. It will be held on a weekday specified by SMU Academy and conducted during office hours. Please note that re-assessment fees are not supported by SSG Funding.

Participants who meet the minimum attendance rate but do not achieve a pass for the assessment will be issued a Certificate of Participation.

Participants are required to bring their laptop to access the course materials, class exercises and individual assessment(s).

In order to be awarded with Advanced Certificate in Venture Capital, participants are required to complete all 6 modules (ideally in sequence) within 2 years. Please note that as much as possible, Module 6 should only be attempted after the rest of the modules have been completed. 

Calculate Programme Fee

Click here for more infomation about SkillsFuture Credits (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)
For PSEA - Available only for Singapore Citizen below 31 (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)

Total Program Fee: SGD0.00

Fee Table

COMPANY-SPONSORED

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

SELF-SPONSORED

SME

NON-SME

Singapore Citizen < 40 years old

Permanent Resident

LTVP+

$654

(After SSG Funding 70%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$654

(After SSG Funding 70%)

Singapore Citizen ≥ 40 years old

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

International Participant

$2,180

(No Funding)

$2,180

(No Funding)

$2,180

(No Funding)

All prices include 9% GST

Please note that the programme fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA)
PSEA can be utilised for subsidised programmes eligible for SkillsFuture Credit support. Click here to find out more.

Self Sponsored

SkillsFuture Credit

Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use their SkillsFuture Credits to pay for the course fees. The credits may be used on top of existing course fee funding.

This is only applicable to self-sponsored participants. Application to utilise SkillsFuture Credits can be submitted when making payment for the course via the SMU Academy TMS Portal, and can only be made within 60 days of course start date.

Please click here for more information on the SkillsFuture Credit. For help in submitting an SFC claim, you may wish to refer to our step-by-step guide on claiming SkillsFuture Credits (Individual).

Workfare Skills Support Scheme

From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme has been enhanced. Please click here for more details.

Company Sponsored

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

  • Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
  • Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
  • Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
  • Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Trainees must not be a full-time national serviceman
  • Trainees are eligible for ETSS funding only if their company's SME status is approved prior to the course commencement date. To verify your SME's status, please click here. 

Please click here for more information on ETSS.

Absentee Payroll

Companies who sponsor their employees for the course may apply for Absentee Payroll here. For more information, please refer to:

AP Guide (Non-SME Companies)
Declaration Guide (SME Companies)

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Trainers

EDWARD TAY
Chairman of Infracrowd Capital
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
EDWARD TAY
Chairman of Infracrowd Capital
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

Edward Tay is Chairman of Infracrowd Capital, an MAS registered fund manager in the development and financing of technology & infrastructure assets to create opportunities aligned with United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.

As a top VC with 4 deep tech unicorns in Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Food Tech, he is named LinkedIn Top Voice in Venture Capital in 2024.

Dedicated to fostering innovation, Edward serves as an industry panel member in IMDA and EnterpriseSG in Generative AI Enterprise Solutions Sandbox for SMEs, Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed in National Research Foundation, Ambassador for the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology 2023/24, Vice Chair of Singapore Enterprise Chapter and Co-Chair of Edu Tech Committee, SG Tech.

As an Associate Professor (Practice) at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Edward served as the Council Member in Singapore Accreditation Council & Board Member in Digilife Technologies, a listed company in SGX and taught in Advanced Certificate in Venture Capital in SMU Academy as an affiliated faculty.

As an Adjunct Professor in Oxford and Head of International Relations, Edward served as Senior Fellow in Business Fight Poverty and Fellow in Singapore Centre of Social Enterprise.

As an Adjunct Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cybersecurity & Digital Assets, Professor Tay led the Asian Institute of Digital Finance, jointly founded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, National Research Foundation and NUS and taught in Master of Science (Artificial Intelligence & Innovation), Master of Science (Venture Creation) and Master of Science (Environmental Management)

A firm advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Professor Edward believes in creating workplaces that celebrate differences and drive collective success.

Testimonials

I cannot think of a better person than Edward - decades of hands-on experience in venture creation and VC investment, international exposure including China, Europe, India, ASEAN, and North America. More importantly, he has a generous heart to share his valuable knowledge and insights to contribute back to the community, especially to younger generations.
Tyler Huang
Venture Partner
Transfong Ventures

Edward's deal-making aptitude is exceptional, especially in bridging eastern and western cultures. Venture Capital is ultimately a people's business and Edward has much to impart. I look forward to learning more from him.

Jeremy Ang
Global Strategy Director, M&A
Bytedance
Fantastic course with extraordinary instructors to impart knowledge and share relevant industrial experience and practices. The instructors were super helpful with expert knowledge and experience. Highly recommend it to those who are working for venture capital firms or engaging with them, as it equips them with the skills to assemble and manage investment portfolios, as well as negotiate better deals.
Lim Liting
Technology Commercialization Lead
NUS
Many times, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, Individuals have very bright ideas, however, they do not execute the ideas due to the lack of funds. We encourage them to attend this course, learn in detail and apply in practice how to utilize venture capital by learned Mr Tay.
Brijesh Kumar Shukla
President
Singapore North Indian Hindu Association

Additional Details

Programme Registration

Applications will be reviewed by our Programme Admissions Committee. The decision made by the committee is final and no request to review the decision or reveal the considerations leading to the decision would be entertained.

​

​Certified Professional Business Manager (CPBM)

This programme is part of Certified Professional Business Manager. Participants who successfully complete 6 courses/modules with a minimum of 15 training days, from a list of qualifying programmes (terms and conditions apply) within 5 years will receive the Certified Professional Business Manager (CPBM). For example:

Please click here for CPBM details and list of qualifying programmes.

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