CRASH COURSE IN FINANCE
AND INVESTING
ABOUT THE COURSE
I have put together a course that is targeted at closing the gap created by the lack of knowledge of finance and its applications, especially among high school students. Students today have book knowledge, and are unable to make informed decisions about what to study in college. This course aims to provide a better understanding of what lies ahead for them, if they choose to pursue a degree in finance.
WHY THIS COURSE?
- Practical and applied. A lot of focus is on understanding the cause of things.
- Addresses the lack of financial knowledge at a grassroot level by targeting high school students.
- Taught by myself instead of a team or pre-recorded lessons, to ensure that the LSE standard of imparting education is maintained.
- Students who opt for packages 2 and 3 get a chance to pitch their own business to me and to attend actual investor showcases at FAAD Angel Network.
- Guest speakers including professors and/or industry experts for packages 2 and 3.
- Students that opt for packages 2 and 3 in India will receive a free copy of Professor Dhruv Nath's book from Lead Angels Network.
CURRICULUM
PART 1 - COMPANY VALUATION
This section focuses on core principles such as present and future values, discounting cash flows, sustainable growth rates, annuities, regression models and hypothesis testing, levering and unlevering betas, and DCF and multiple-based valuation.
PART 2 - FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES
This section focuses on a basic introduction to financial derivatives with a focus on options and various strategies such as strangles, straddles, etc. This is not a quantitative section. It is taught as the concepts of instruments such as calls are integral to understanding warrants which are in the term sheets of startups.
PART 3 - ANGEL INVESTING
This section draws from the knowledge imparted in parts 1 and 2. Topics include startup valuation, due diligence in detail, what investors look for when evaluating a startup, and what a good pitch deck looks like. The student is then asked to pitch his/her own business to me which I will evaluate. Finally, the student will attend an actual investor showcase.
DURATION
- The course will run for upto 5 weeks with a total of 10 hours of lectures for packages 1 and 2, and 20 hours for package 3.
- Classes will run online. The frequency of the classes will depend on the batch and geographic location.
TESTIMONIALS
"When I started the crash course, I had absolutely no background knowledge of finance whatsoever. But it's safe to say that the amount I progressed was incredible. Mr. Sharan Aggarwal was able to take such a complex subject and still teach it in a methodical manner to a 12th grader. Using relatable examples and taking advantage of the limited knowledge I have regarding accounts, commerce and economics, he taught me well. I thoroughly enjoyed all the classes, but he didn't just end there. In fact, he took it one step ahead and asked me to prepare a pitch for a product or service that he would look at as an investor. I would recommend all to take up this crash course. It was truly a wonderful learning and developmental experience for me!"
- Renee Vakil, The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai - ISC Class of 2022
“Doing the crash course in finance with Sharan was extremely helpful for me to get an insight into the basics of finance and to learn about how it is used in the real world. It was easy to follow while also being in depth, and the flexibility of the sessions allowed me to work around my schedule and make the most of the course. The activities like making a pitch deck gave me firsthand experience and made learning under Sharan more interesting and interactive.”
- Diya Bhageria, The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai - IB Class of 2023
