Coller Prize Evening

The Coller Prize has been an annual fixture of the Coller Institute of Private Equity for five years, recognising the best student research in the field of private equity and venture capital. To reflect the ever growing research in the field, the Coller Prize has expanded greatly since 2006. In 2008, the Institute awarded separate prizes for the best case study and best management report for the first time.

This year, the Institute introduced an additional category for PhD students, which is open to students from around the globe. A vast quantity of high quality submissions were received, making the judging process a challenging one.

This year’s Coller Prize award evening was held at London Business School on 30 November 2010. David Thorp (MSc04), Partner, ISIS Equity Partners and Chairman, Sussex Place Ventures, introduced the evening in front of a packed audience comprising current students, alumni, academics and private equity practitioners. Mr Thorp, an alumnus of London Business School and an experienced practitioner, discussed research in private equity and his own research on venture capital and start-ups when he was a student at the School. He gave Coller Capital as an excellent example of how to develop an entrepreneurial spirit by taking a concept and transforming it to be a successful secondaries fund of funds manager with truly a global reach. Within this context he stressed the importance and relevance of the work done by the Coller Institute as a leading research centre and forum for debate in private equity. Furthermore, I am sure his speech inspired a number of current students in the audience to get involved in private equity research!

Following the introductory speech, Professor Eli Talmor, Chairman of the Institute presented the awards for the Best Management Report and Best Case Study. Winners received a cheque for £1750 and a trophy. We are pleased to announce the following winners and runner-ups for these categories:

Best Management Report

Winner

Joao Estrela and Eze Vidra, both SEMBA 2010 for Real Money in Virtual Goods? A Venture Capital Scan on the Virtual Goods Industry

Runner-up

Amit Paul and Anupam Sharma, both MBA 2010 for Private Equity Secondaries – Investment Opportunities in the Cleantech Sector

Best Case Study

Winner

Adolfo Vinatea and Richard Turner, both MBA 2010 for Mekong Capital: The Importance of Corporate Culture in Emerging Markets Private Equity

Runners-up

Ananth Yvas Bhimavarapu and Thibaud Simphal, both MBA 2010 for Bridging the SME early-stage finance gap: A case study on Capital for Enterprise UK

James Marks and Pete Wong, both MBA 2010 for Catalysing Systemic Change: The Role of Venture Philanthropy


The awards were presented by Stephen Ziff, Partner, Coller Capital and the winners of both categories presented their papers to the assembled audience.

Professor Francesca Cornelli, Academic Director of the Institute presented the inaugural PhD prize. This is an important addition to the Coller Prize and reflects the objective of the Coller Institute to expand its reach beyond London Business School and recognise the world’s best private equity research, just as it does with its publication, Private Equity Findings. The winner received a cheque for USD 5,000 and a trophy.

The awards were presented to:

Winner

Ji-Woong Chung, currently of Ohio State University for Performance Persistence in Private Equity Funds

Runner-up

Linus Siming, currently of Bocconi University for Your Former Employees Matter: Private Equity Firms and Their Financial Advisors

Both winner and runner-up presented a synopsis of their papers to the audience.

The evening exemplified the growing quality of research in the field of private equity and venture capital. As private equity emerges from the financial crisis and the industry reflects on lessons learned during this period, research in the field will be critical on how the industry has been able to create and realise value, how GPs have interacted with their investors and the effect of new regulatory measures. As a leading forum for debate, the Coller Institute will continue to showcase the globe’s best private equity research, bridging the worlds of academia and industry.

Thank you to all involved in this year’s Coller Prize including a special thanks to Katharine Campbell, Cambridge Associates for her role in judging the case study and management report categories with Hans Holmen, Executive Director of the Institute.
All presentations will be made available for download on the Institute’s website at www.collerinstitute.com.