Level 1
Foundation
The taxonomy, the bridge and the mechanics. No prerequisite.
$179
USD, one time
Enrol in Level 1The Value Creation Analyst Credential
The CVCA Programme
Certified Value Creation Analyst. Three levels that take you from the language of value creation, through the mathematics underneath it, to the point where you can say which parts of a thesis are evidenced and which are assumed.
3 levelsSelf paced, no cohortAssessed by examinationCertificates do not expire
Three levels, taken in order. Each is bought separately, when you are ready for it.
Three levels, because competence arrives in three stages
Level 1 gives you the language. Level 2 gives you the mathematics underneath it. Level 3 establishes that you can tell what is evidenced from what has merely been assumed, and defend the difference.
Most analytical training stops once the candidate can build the model. That is the easy half. The hard half is knowing which inputs the model rests on, where each one came from, and which of them nobody has actually checked.
The CVCA programme is built to close that gap deliberately. By Level 3 you are handed a thesis and the corpus it was built from, and asked not whether you agree with it but what it can be shown to establish.
Level1
You learn the language
Foundation
The value creation taxonomy, the EBITDA bridge, working capital mechanics, and how an initiative becomes a number a sponsor will underwrite.
Level2
You learn the mathematics
The Analytics of Value Creation
That foundation applied to a full case, with the modelling, the sensitivity work, and the evidence discipline expected of anyone supporting an operating partner or a deal team.
Level3
You are validated under challenge
Verification
Establish what a thesis actually evidences, price what it merely assumes using Evidence Grade and Inference Debt, and hold the finding when somebody senior would prefer you did not.
Where each level sits
Level 1 is not easy, it is foundational. What changes as you climb is not only how hard the analysis gets, but how much of your mark depends on defending the inputs rather than producing the output.
Theoretical difficulty
▲
▶
1
Level 1
Foundation. The taxonomy and the bridge.
2
Level 2
Analytics. The mathematics, on a five year case.
3
Level 3
Verification. Grade the evidence, defend the finding.
Practical rigour
Level 1 assessed by examination
Level 2 reviewed certification on a five year case
Level 3 marked capstone and examination, both required
Enrol level by level
Each level is bought on its own. Nothing is bundled that you have not reached yet.
Level 2
The Analytics of Value Creation
The mathematics, applied to one company across five years. Requires Level 1.
$299
USD, one time
Enrol in Level 2Level 3
Verification
Evidence Grade, Inference Debt, a capstone and an examination. Requires Levels 1 and 2.
$499
USD, one time
See Level 3How it is taught
Built on companies, not on examples
Level 2 carries Northbridge Instruments across five years, from Year 0 to exit, with the modelling and the sensitivity work done properly rather than described. Level 3 hands you a different corpus of roughly seventy documents written by people who each had their own reasons for writing them.
Level 2 ends in a reviewed certification. Level 3 ends in a marked capstone and a written examination, and you need to pass both.
What a completed programme establishes
You can build it
Produce a value bridge that reconciles, with the modelling and the sensitivity work done properly rather than described.
You can grade it
Rate any input on sight, and know that a finding inherits the lowest grade of anything it depends on.
You can defend it
Hold a graded position under challenge, and separate what you established from what you assumed.
Who the programme is for
Built for
- Analysts and associates supporting a deal team or an operating partner.
- Value creation and portfolio analysts whose numbers get used by people who will not check them.
- Portfolio company finance leads and corporate development professionals.
- Anyone who has had a finding challenged in a room and discovered they could not source it under pressure.
Probably not for you if
- You want a credential you can complete in a weekend.
- You are looking for a first course in accounting or finance.
- You need live teaching or a cohort to keep you moving.
- You want a definitive answer at the end. By Level 3 the programme teaches you to say how confident you are and why.
How the programme works
Order
Levels are taken in sequence. Level 2 requires Level 1, and Level 3 requires both.
Pace
Self paced throughout. No cohort, no fixed start date, and no live sessions to attend.
Assessment
Each level ends in its own certification. Level 3 requires a marked capstone and a written examination, and you need to pass both.
Certificate
No certification expires. There is no renewal fee and no continuing education requirement.
Questions
Do I have to buy all three at once?
No. Start at Level 1 and work up. Level 2 assumes the taxonomy and the bridge that Level 1 builds, and Level 3 assumes both. Each level is bought separately when you are ready for it.
How long does the whole programme take?
There is no deadline and no cohort. Every level is self paced and each carries its own access period, which begins when you enrol in that level rather than when you start the programme. Most candidates take between one and two years across the three.
Can I stop after Level 1 or Level 2?
You can. Levels 1 and 2 each end in their own certification and stand on their own. Level 3 is where the credential stops being about whether you can produce the number and starts being about whether it will hold.
Is there a better price for taking more than one level?
The Value Creation Analyst Track bundles Levels 1 and 2 with the Strategic Power Pack at $329 rather than $503. Level 3 is bought separately once both are complete.
Do the certifications expire?
No. None of the VCII certifications expire, there is no renewal fee, and there is no continuing education requirement.
Begin at Level 1
There is no application and no start date. Enrol in Level 1 and work at whatever pace your week allows. Level 2 opens when you are ready for it, and Level 3 when both are behind you.
Three levels, taken in order. Each is bought separately, when you are ready for it.