Investing 101: Investing Across Private Equity, Venture Capital & the Public Market

Starting your investment journey early is a powerful first step. Like the old saying goes, “look before you leap” (or in this metaphor, step), and make your first move an informed one. There’s a lot of information out there, which is why we’re thrilled to announce Public.com’s Investing 101 series.

For beginner investors, terms like “private equity” and “venture capital” can sound intimidating. Afterall, these are words often thrown around on the media—especially those channels where people frantically point and yell at company valuations, dozens of numbers whizzing around.

In this talk, we invite two analysts from the world of Private Equity and Venture Capital to share their thoughts on their investing process, philosophies, and important financial metrics to know for getting started.

TOPIC COVERED

  • What is the typical PE/VC investing process in the public market?
  • How to read companies’ quarterly reports?
  • What are some of the most important financial metrics to know? What are ROIC, EBITDA, PE ratio and how can we use them to make an investment decision?

Speakers

Kavan Canekeratne

Kavan joined Dolby Family Ventures in 2020 as an Associate to support the firm’s technology investments across a range of portfolios. Prior to Dolby Family Ventures, Kavan worked at J.P. Morgan in the investment banking division where his team specialized in the Internet, Semi-conductor, Systems, and Software industries and advised companies on M&A and equity / debt financings. Kavan has a BA from the University of San Diego where he majored in Finance and was a member of the school’s golf team.

Leon Vortmeyer

Leon is an entrepreneur in real estate and healthcare technology. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2019 and began his career in financial technology private equity with Aquiline Capital Partners in New York. He was a summer analyst for JP Morgan’s Healthcare Investment Banking team in San Francisco. At Aquiline, he primarily evaluated investment opportunities in fintech and vertical software.