Webinar
Masterclass: The Art of Evaluating a Deal

Join Alumni Ventures’ David Beazley and Mike Peri for an exclusive masterclass on how venture capitalists evaluate early-stage deals.
This session will walk through the key frameworks, signals, and due diligence criteria used to assess high-potential startups. Whether you’re new to venture or looking to sharpen your analytical lens, this conversation will break down what separates promising opportunities from the rest.
David and Mike will share real-world insights into how AV applies these principles across sectors and stages. You’ll also hear examples from the current portfolio to illustrate how high-conviction decisions get made. Reserve your spot today to deepen your understanding of how AV’s investment team approaches deal evaluation.
Why Attend?
- HomeLearn the foundational frameworks used to assess early-stage startups
- HomeUnderstand key indicators of a high-potential opportunity
- HomeHear directly from AV’s investment team on how these tools are applied in real deals
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
David has played a leading role in many aspects of the VC investment cycle: structuring transactions as a fundless sponsor, improving operations as a consultant, leading management teams as a CEO, evaluating opportunities as an investor and advisor, and selling companies as a licensed business broker. Previously, he founded Synergy Financial, a private capital and consulting firm for entrepreneurs, PE professionals, and family offices. He started his investment career as a professional advisor managing millions in assets. David has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northwestern and played for the two-time Big Ten Championship Northwestern Wildcats Football Team. He serves on the NUvention and Kellogg Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Boards.

Purple Arch Ventures, Managing Partner
Mike, an accomplished venture capitalist and operator with over a decade of industry experience, brings a wealth of expertise to Alumni Ventures. Before joining AV as a Partner, he held a Lead Director role at CVS Health Ventures, where he focused on investments in early and growth-stage digital health companies and played a key role in shaping the firm’s portfolio management strategy. Prior to this, Mike served as a Partner at Distributed Ventures, an early-stage fund with a strong thematic emphasis on digital health, insuretech, and fintech sectors. His journey in the industry began with leadership in product and analytics at Yaro Health, a venture-incubated company that achieved a successful acquisition. Throughout his career, Mike has assumed pivotal roles in strategy, early-stage startups, and data science, shaping his comprehensive understanding of the venture landscape. Mike holds a Masters of Science in Applied Data Science from the University of Chicago, along with graduate and undergraduate degrees from DePaul University and the University of Iowa, respectively.