Clemens Angel Analyst Fellowship<\/a> is a collaboration with VentureSouth, a Greenville, South Carolina-based firm that funds startups in the Southeast.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s the work of Ken Clemens \u201987 and his son, Chase Clemens \u201922 \u2013 both business majors.<\/p>\n
The eight-week fellowship will give eight to 10 students a deep dive into new venture investment, teaching them the skills they need, said Chase Clemens, who served two years as chair of Furman\u2019s Investment Banking Club.<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of the fellowship, the students will be eligible for a paid internship during which they can apply what they learned to real-world investment opportunities with VentureSouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was Chase\u2019s ideas that led us to the gift for the fellowship,\u201d said Ken Clemens, noting that the two had talked about how they might turn their passion for the school into something positive for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought this was a great chance to re-engage with my alma mater,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Chase Clemens said he was approached about three years ago by Anthony Herrera, executive director of The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, about an idea to start an Angel Analyst Program.<\/p>\n
The $1 million gift from the Clemens Family Foundation is the next step.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis would be training students to think analytically and problem solve related to different \u2026 venture capital deals,\u201d he said. \u201c(These) are some of the skills you\u2019d learn from a top internship with any financial institution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herrera said the gift is critical to positioning Furman as a national leader in the field among liberal arts and science colleges by equipping students with the skills and experiences for careers in angel investing, venture capital and private equity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would see these types of programs at major business schools,\u201d he said, \u201cbut this is a unique offering at a traditional liberal arts and sciences university.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fellowship will help students understand how to evaluate companies in the early stages that they don\u2019t have a lot of data on, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not like investing in Amazon or Walmart where you can look at their historical financial statements,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re having to use your research and evaluation and analytical skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program is designed for any discipline, not just business , Herrera said, and is also valuable to those who want to start their own companies.<\/p>\n
Some 60-70% of high school students want to study entrepreneurship in college, he said, noting the nation is in the midst of an entrepreneurial revolution with more people wanting to work for themselves, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cChase grabbed onto the vision of what this could be,\u201d he said. \u201cFuture students will come here because we have this program.\u201d<\/p>\n
While many schools have great ideas, Ken Clemens said, they aren\u2019t always adept at putting the right energy and people behind them, adding that Herrera and his team are already highly successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hill Institute is as innovative as anything I\u2019ve seen nationally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After graduating, Ken Clemens started a business before going into real estate investment banking and then into insurance. He is currently CEO of the URL Insurance Group in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.\u00a0Chase Clemens, \u00a0who graduated this year, \u00a0is pursuing jobs in finance.<\/p>\n
The fellowship is an endowed gift so it will be ongoing, Ken Clemens said, adding that he hopes the gift will inspire other families to invest in their legacies.<\/p>\n
\u201cChase and I have a great passion and love for Furman and want to do everything we can to see it succeed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will give the students an advantage that others don\u2019t have. And in the end, that\u2019s really what we\u2019re trying to accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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