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ENT 405 · Unit 2 of 6

Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes

Venture Capital and Startup Investing

Start unit · 4 lessons →

Learning objectives

  • Screen deals with an investment thesis and kill criteria
  • Apply "Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes" to a real venture decision
  • Contribute to your Due diligence checklist deliverable

Unit overview

#LessonCore idea
1Understanding Sourcing, Screening and Investment ThemesCore frameworks for this unit
2How Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes Works in PracticeCore frameworks for this unit
3Evaluating Trade-offs in Sourcing, Screening and Investment ThemesCore frameworks for this unit
4Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes: Case Analysis and RecommendationsCore frameworks for this unit

Complete all four lessons, then finish unit assessments on this page.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

50% applied project30% case work20% knowledge checks

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under ENT 405.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your ENT 405 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Case analysis

Analyze a case using frameworks from this unit.

CaseCase analysis: Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes60 min
Analyze a real business case through the lens of **Sourcing, Screening and Investment Themes**. Choose a public company event, HBR-style case, or documented decision. **Deliverable structure:** 1. Situation summary (150 words) 2. Analysis using this unit's frameworks (400 words) 3. Recommendation (150 words) 4. Risks and what would change your mind

Deliverable

2-page case write-up in your portfolio.

Rubric

  • • Case facts are accurate and sourced
  • • Analysis uses unit frameworks explicitly
  • • Recommendation is justified with tradeoffs
  • • Risks are specific, not generic

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. RelayOps enters Arbor Peak via portfolio CTO referral. Why does referral flow usually beat cold inbound?

2. Arbor Peak takes 180 meetings from 1,800 decks. Deck-to-meeting rate?

3. An investment theme for Arbor Peak is infra SaaS for developers. RelayOps fits because:

4. Screening should happen before deep diligence because:

5. Maya chooses Arbor Peak at $32M pre over Harbor at $36M pre primarily when:

6. Meeting-to-close rate 3.5% means:

7. CRM kill-reason fields help:

8. Narrow specialist themes trade:

Next unit: Market, Team and Product Diligence →