This experiential case simulates an investment committee (IC) meeting at the private equity (PE) firm Bridgepoint, a leading European mid-market private equity firm. In the first quarter of 2011, with Europe in a recession following the global financial crisis, forecasters are predicting the start of an economic recovery.

Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley-based investor in start-ups including PayPal and Dropbox, introduces a match-making model to engage corporates with start-ups. The case discusses the rationale behind the model and the challenges involved in simultaneously facilitating start-up development and corporate entrepreneurship.