Pre-MBA, Alex Amato spent three years working at a PE fund. He knew he wanted to continue to build on that career after.
So, when it came time to look at MBA programs, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management was a clear stand out. Its high-touch, mentorship driven Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX) program checked all of Amato’s boxes.
“I believe APEX’s formal mentorship program is unique and highly differentiated versus other MBA programs. I was given the opportunity to specially request a mentor based on my interests and career goals, and Kellogg granted that request, which I think made the program even more valuable to me,” says Amato, a 2024 Kellogg MBA graduate and vice president at Gauge Capital.
“This mentorship relationship is one that will transcend the two years at Kellogg and is a great foundation to continue building my own career in PE post-graduation.”
Amato was one of around 20 one- and two-year Kellogg MBAs selected to participate in APEX, a relatively new and highly selective program that combines rigorous academics with industry mentorship. Now in its second year, the program announced its new senior director this May: Erik Brown, Kellogg MBA ‘06, founder of Red Cedar Capital with more than 20 years of experience in PE/VC.
“We believe Kellogg is uniquely positioned in private equity. What sets us apart is a modern approach that combines finance and analytics with social intelligence,” Brown tells Poets&Quants.
“As we say in private equity, you need a high IQ, but also a high EQ. Personally, as a Kellogg graduate, I can vouch for the rigorous finance curriculum here; it’s second to none, with a world-class finance faculty and some of the most advanced coursework available.
“But as we know, private equity also requires softer skills – like leadership, negotiation, and collaboration – which Kellogg has focused on for over 30 years.”
KELLOGG’S DEEP PE ECOSYSTEM
To be sure, APEX feels like a natural progression for Kellogg’s PE offerings. Its finance MBA offers a Private Equity and Venture Capital Pathway, and its Private Equity Lab course provides hands-on experience similar to an internship. The school also has an active student-led Private Equity Club which organizes meetups with industry alumni and professionals in cities across the country. Also student-led, Kellogg’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Conference attracts nearly 300 students, alumni, faculty and industry professionals each year.
Kellogg’s dean Francesca Cornelli led the Private Equity Institute at London Business School as a finance professor there, and PE in one of her main research interests.
“In addition to Dean Cornelli, we have a very large and influential alumni base in private equity, and they were instrumental in building this program as well,” Brown says.
APEX’s key components include:
- High-selectivity: The cohort is capped at about 25 students per year to maintain its high-touch, one-on-one experience. Both 1-year and 2-year full-time MBAs are invited to join during the admission process, based on prior PE experience and proven interest as well as a commitment to the industry post graduation.
- Tailored curriculum: The program has an accelerated finance curriculum with advanced courses, including the Private Equity Deep Dive which is very popular among APEX students. The program also features real-world projects and case studies that look at why real deals are made – or not made.