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IEMS 370: Technology Investment and Enterprise Strategy

Prerequisites

Civ Env 205, ECON Corporate Finance, or similar

Description

Technology Investment and Enterprise Strategy ("TIES") is a case-based course that examines how investors and executives evaluate and build around technology-driven businesses — the kind that have reshaped entire industries. Through the case method, students go inside the strategic decisions of companies like Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and others to understand not just what they did, but why it worked and how to value it.

Building on foundational ideas from finance and economics, the course is structured in two parts. The first half develops core valuation skills — applied to real companies across the investment lifecycle: venture capital, growth capital and leverage buyouts (LBOs). The second half examines how competitive strategy shapes value, covering network effects, platform economics, strategy rules, competitive tactics, and emerging technologies including AI.

Throughout, students integrate financial analysis with strategic judgment through discussion of real-world cases spanning venture-backed startups, high-growth companies, and mature technology giants across a variety of technology industries (social networking, AI, browsers, software, etc). Course will include class participation, pre-class exercises, and a final group paper and in-person presentation.

This course is an IE/OR elective for Industrial Engineering.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to evaluate technology companies using core valuation frameworks including discounted cash flow analysis, comparable and precedence transactions, and leverage buyout models
Students will understand how investment philosophies and returns differ across venture capital, growth equity, and private equity firms and deals
Students will be able to apply strategic frameworks — including network effects, platform economics, strategy rules, and competitive tactics — to technology investment decisions
Students will develop the ability to analyze the strategies of leading technology companies such as Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, etc through case-based discussion
Students will be able to integrate financial analysis with strategic judgment to produce coherent, defensible investment recommendations
Students will gain practical experience presenting and defending investment and strategy analyses in a group

TOPICS

Valuation Methods Applied Across Technology
Technology Investment Ecosystem: Venture, Growth and LBOs
Strategic Frameworks and Learnings from Industry Leaders

MATERIALS