“Carry,” “secondaries,” “downrounds”, “LPs,” “bridge rounds” – the world of venture capital can be overwhelming, if not daunting, to new entrants out of university or college.
But it seems for nine and ten-year-olds, the world of venture capital is one they already have a handle on, despite their young age.
That is according to Eleanor Kaye, managing director, Newton Venture Progam, an education scheme for overlooked and under-represented VCs, who has started teaching VC in primary schools in the UK.
While much of Newton Venture Progam's work focuses on secondary schools, Kaye has started teaching Year 5 and Year 6 pupils in London primary schools.
Describing her teaching technique to the budding investors of tomorrow, Kaye said:
“I focused on helping them understand what a business is, how they can be different sizes, and how they make money.
“I used companies they would recognise to help build their understanding. We also used Dragon's Den as an example to help them understand how companies can find the money they need to grow.
“They also spent some time thinking about their own new business ideas!"
And what was the reaction of the Marc Andreessen and Steven Bartletts of tomorrow?
She said:
“When I started the session, only one child in the group knew anything about businesses or investment.
“They were pretty engaged but I think I would restructure the session in the future to be more workshop-esque.
“But they seem to really enjoy the session and the creativity involved in thinking of new ideas - they took away a new understanding of some key terms.”
While Newton Venture Progam's work focuses on aspiring and current VC professionals, they have recently started expanding their outreach to younger age groups.
This outreach focuses primarily on secondary schools, but Kaye recently led a session teaching Year 5 and Year 6 pupils in a London primary school.
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