Studies venture capital and private equity using a combination of cases, lectures and guest speakers. Addresses how venture capitalists provide capital to start-up firms in growing industries and how private equity markets provide capital to help established medium-sized firms (often family businesses) grow and restructure. Focuses on how financial, legal, and economic issues are dealt with in the financial contracts between venture capitalists and their limited partners and between capitalists (or other private equity investors) and the firms in which they invest.