Digital Learning
M&A Bootcamp
“Everyone interested in banking or private equity should take this course. It breaks down complicated concepts into easy to understand examples – I would’ve come into [investment banking] far more prepared and wish I had this then.” – Former Investment Bank Analyst & PE Associate
Duration:~ 10 - 12 Hours
CPE Credits:13
Experience Level:Emerging M&A Pros
What I will learn?
- Gain a clear understanding of deal stages, key players, and how to add value to every step of the transaction.
- Identify and differentiate the roles on the buy side vs. sell side to navigate M&A dynamics with confidence.
- Analyze how investor types, capital sources, and deal stages shape M&A priorities and due diligence.
- Build practical business habits that help you tackle complex transaction challenges and stand out on deal teams.
- Develop an intuitive understanding of leveraged buyout (“LBO”) math and basics of valuation.
- Apply proven frameworks to structure analysis, improve outcomes, and deliver insights that drive better deals.
About The Course
Course Curriculum
- Habits That Create Value & Their Applicability to Careers in M&A
- Personal Execution Process: Imagining & Managing the Day©
- Fundamentals: Active Reading, Listening, & Note-taking
- Fundamentals: Synthesize & Reflect
- Fundamentals: The Art of Asking Good Questions
- Fundamentals: Framing, Language, & Communication
- Cast of Characters: Buyers & Sellers, and Their Many Advisers
- Financial vs. Strategic Investors
- Different Types of Investors & Form of Investment
- Where Investors Sit Along the Risk / Reward Continuum
- Primary vs. Secondary Capital
- Pre-Money vs. Post-Money Valuations
- Business Lifecycle & The Investment Continuum
- Major Milestones in the Transaction Process
- Common Diligence Workflows & Third-Party Advisers
- M&A Process Considerations & Impact
- Diligence Advisory Firms & Process Type
- Introduction to Foundational Questions©
- Foundational Questions© as the Question Behind the Question
- Project / Client Foundational Questions©
- Company / Target Foundational Questions©
- Foundational Questions© Exercise
- How Businesses are Valued
- Relative and Absolute Value
- Free Cash Flow (“FCF”)
- Three Sought-After Attributes of FCF
- Desirable Business Traits & Their Impact on FCF
- The Importance of Perspective
- Risk & Opportunity
- Billionaires Brawl
- Identifying Business Characteristics & Their Impact on Value
- Varied Acquisition Strategies
- M&A Diversification Strategies
- Strategic Rationale
- Other Select Considerations
- Private Equity vs. Institutional Private Equity
- Private Equity vs. Public Equity Comparison
- Other Investor Types Similar to Private Equity
- Private Equity’s Prominence & Reach
- How a Buyout Works
- How Institutional PE Works
- Investment Horizon / Hold Period
- How PE Firms are Structured: A Simplified Example
- PE Firms as Broader Multi-Strategy Asset Managers
- PE Firm Activities
- The Investment Box
- The PE Deal Funnel
- AUM vs. Fund Size vs. Dry Powder
- Other People’s Money
- How PE Returns Are Measured
- The Three Ways PE Firms Make Money
- Due Diligence Defined
- Intuition Building: Due Diligence Applied to Other Asset Purchases
- Foundational Questions©
- Perspective & Point-of-View
- Prioritization & Decision Gates
- Build Intuition: Establish Bookends & Fermi Math
- Finding Insights in Contradictions
- SOPs & Checklists
- Examination of Poor or Missed Diligence Workflows
- Evaluation of Two Real World Situations and How Diligence Might Have Been Completed Differently
M&A Professions
- Financial Due Diligence
- Investment Banking
- Leveraged Lending
- Private Equity
- Universities
CPE Credits
Details
- Last Updated March 2025
- CPE Credit 13
- Field of Study Finance (10.0 CPE) / Management Services (2.5 CPE) / Personal Development (0.5 CPE)
- Instructional Delivery Method QAS Self-Study
- Knowledge Level Basic
- Prerequisites None
- Advanced Preparation None
Refund Policy
For more information regarding refunds, concerns, and program cancellation policies, please contact the Private Equity Primer Support Team via email at help@pe-primer.com.
Compliant Resolution
For any complaints or issues with course materials or delivery, please email the Private Equity Primer Support Team at help@pe-primer.com.
NASBA Sponsor Statement
Private Equity Primer is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

Private Equity Primer is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: NASBAregistry.org.