The Ivey-CVCA Private Capital Leaders Program is an intensive, five-day executive education program for high-potential professionals at Canadian VC and PE firms who are preparing to move beyond technical execution and take on leadership accountability. Delivered by Ivey Business School in partnership with the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), the program is built for people who have mastered deal execution and are now focused on leading teams, shaping strategy, and driving firm growth.

Every session is designed around the capabilities that matter at the partnership level: LP management and capital creation, fund strategy, governance, executive presence, and negotiation. Ivey faculty co-deliver with senior industry practitioners, connecting proven leadership frameworks with the realities of managing and growing private capital firms. Participants leave with the perspective, influence, and leadership capabilities required to succeed at the partnership level.

Who Should Attend

The program is designed for professionals whose firms see them as future leaders and are willing to invest in their development.

Rising firm leaders. VPs, Principals, and Senior Associates at PE and VC firms moving into firm-level leadership. Typically 4–12 years of experience, though this varies by fund size and structure.

Senior fund operators. COOs, CFOs, and Heads of IR or Portfolio Operations looking to deepen their strategic contribution and build peer relationships across the investment side of the business.

Institutional allocators (selective). Directors and VPs of Private Markets at pension funds, endowments, and family offices. Selectively admitted to enrich the cohort's GP-LP dynamic.

Firm-Sponsored Enrollment

The Ivey-CVCA Private Capital Leaders Program is designed for professionals identified by their firms as future leaders. Participants are nominated and sponsored through an application process that considers career trajectory, leadership potential, firm representation, and overall cohort fit.

For Managing Partners and Heads of Talent, the program offers a structured way to accelerate the development of the next generation of leaders within your firm.

Learning Outcomes

The curriculum accelerates the transition from individual contributor to firm leader. 

Participants develop a fund strategy and LP management fluency, sharpen governance and negotiation skills through scenario-based exercises, and strengthen their executive presence through an immersive leadership experience. The Ivey case method means participants actively make decisions, defend positions, and navigate ambiguity — not passively absorb content. A capstone simulation brings the week's learning together in a high-pressure leadership environment.

Participants join a cohort of high-potential professionals from leading Canadian PE and VC firms, all navigating a similar leadership transition. The relationships built throughout the week become an enduring network of future leaders across Canada's private capital industry.