The Johns Hopkins Private Equity and Venture Capital Club partnered with the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Maryland to host David Warnock, Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Camden Partners on March 9, 2016 at the Carey Business School. The topic of discussion was “Private Equity Deal Making.” This marked the first time that the Club has partnered with an external professional organization to provide Hopkins students and alumni the opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals. The event was a sold out event as we welcomed more than 60 guests from the private equity, venture capital, M & A, accounting and legal industries as well as students and alumni from Johns Hopkins.

Based on his extensive experience in running one of most prominent and largest private equity firms, David shared his perspectives on how Camden Partners focused their investments in three main verticals: education, business services and healthcare. One of their most notable investments was in 2007 which they invested in Maryland-based Towne Park and had successfully build it as the largest provider of contracted hospitality services and parking systems nationwide. Camden Partners exited this deal in 2014 to TA Associates.

When asked about the role of entrepreneurship, venture capital and private equity and how they fit into the Baltimore city, David responded that there were two things lacking in the system: seed stage capital and talent. Both of these were intertwined and he had taken concrete steps to address both. Camden Partners has started a seed stage capital fund certain Exelis in order to support early stage companies in Baltimore and the region. In order to attract talent here, he felt that it was important to improve the image of the city and to have everyone be hyped up about the city’s development and future. The positive energy and vibes from the people of Baltimore coupled with the enhanced environment of innovation, entrepreneurship and an ecosystem of funding would be to create jobs and encourage people to stay rooted Baltimore.

The Johns Hopkins University Private Equity and Venture Capital club is among the most active of the School’s clubs. We provide a forum for students, alumni, faculty, staff and industry professionals interested in all aspects and stages of Private Equity and Venture Capital, and help them develop the skills and knowledge necessary to build careers in these sectors. Visit our website and sign up for our mailing list at http://www.jhupevc.com