A training program named "Lessons from Silicon Valley: Innovation and Venture Investment", jointly held by the Pudong Institute of Finance and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will open from Sept 6 to 8 to help senior executives and entrepreneurs of financial institutions in Pudong new district and the whole of Shanghai better prepare for the competitive global market.

Ilya Strebulaev, tenured associate professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in the US, together with Haim Mendelson, professor of electronic business and commerce as well as management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will be the main speakers of the program.

Strebulaev and Mendelson will discuss features of American angel investment and venture capital investment with students using interesting theories and cases. They will elaborate on the value chain of venture capital investment, including every phase from seed money, angel investment and initial capital investment to equity investment, mergers and acquisition, and IPO (initial public offering) exit. Participants can study first-hand cases from Silicon Valley (including Paypal) and talk with managing partners of first-class American venture capital funds, like NEA (New Enterprise Associates), KPCB (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) and Sequoia Capital.

The program targets entrepreneurs, brokers and senior managers of venture capital investment companies, private equity institutions and investment banks. So far, many financial institutions have shown great interest in the program.

The program was launched against the backdrop of the booming development of the Pudong financial center. As of June 2013, Pudong was home to a total of 1,248 equity investment and management companies with total managing assets of 223.6 billion yuan ($36.5 billion), 146.2 billion yuan more than the end of 2010. Top private equity fund management companies from home and abroad like TPG, Blackstone and CITIC, and leading venture capital fund management companies like DT Capital, DFJ (Draper Fisher Jurvetson) and Qiming have all set up offices in Pudong.

The government of Pudong has reached a consensus that large-scale high-quality private fund management companies in Pudong should be granted similar financial and personnel support policies as other financial institutions. Pudong is also trying to create an asset management platform where agencies of all sizes can coordinate together and attract more business.

The Pudong Institute of Finance will also hold programs with Harvard Business School and Kellogg Business School of Northwestern University in November 2013 and March 2014 to enhance the soft power of Pudong.