Take the leap and master financial modelling from anywhere.

Take the leap and master financial modelling from anywhere.

Why learn with LFA?

Project-based with real data

Delivered by practicing industry experts

Network with like-minded peers

Personalised attention through live 1-to-1 remote sessions

World-leading certified courses

As taught at

#6

Top Master in Management Grande École
2022

#3

Best Master in Finance Pre-experience
2022

#1

MBA International 1-year Program
2019

#1

MBA Program in Europe
2021–2022

Private Equity certificate program

Demonstrate your mastery of Private Equity financial modelling to top employers and set yourself apart.

The courses in the certificate program can also be taken individually.

What our students are saying

The Leap Finance Academy course is the foundation to my financial modelling skills. I was able to gain a crucial experience in modelling and important tips that I still use in my full-time position today. We covered all the basics to build a model from scratch and perform a business valuation using different methods. Furthermore, Nikhil’s impressive know-how and pedagogic technique were key elements in this course as he is very attentive to every student and delivers an exceptional learning experience.
Joseph-Emmanuel Moukarzel
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Natixis (Energy & Natural Resources), Investment Banking Analyst
Nikhil’s Private Equity Modelling Course is top-notch, on all fronts. Nikhil is an expert at it and was able to answer all the questions that I had about the course. Nikhil was able to simplify tasks that I thought were complicated and make them understandable in easy, manageable pieces. Nikhil’s course covered everything that I needed to know for my Investment Banking Case-Study interviews. My interviewers were surprised at how particular I was with formatting and formulae constructions, skills that I learned during Nikhil’s course. I can’t thank Nikhil enough for his help and I would recommend his course to all those who aspire to work in the Investment Banking Industry.
Rahul Bhalla
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Deutsche Bank, Investment Banking Analyst
It’s not easy for an outsider to learn about how exactly professionals do modelling in the real world. Nikhil’s Excel financial modelling class is one of the best courses I’ve ever taken in terms of investment banking. It’s clear, efficient and rich in content. After this course, I can say that I am more confident about my knowledge in M&A and DCF Valuation. It also helps connect a lot of concepts between finance and accounting. I highly recommend this course!
Meifeng Du
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BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, Analyst
I took the Corporate & Private Equity Financial modelling seminar of Leap Finance Academy during my last trimester at ESSEC. After a one-day Excel Bootcamp, the course moves towards building a complex financial model from scratch side by side with Nikhil. The course is perfectly structured and provides all the essential practical and theoretical knowledge needed in financial modelling. Besides that, Nikhil is a very talented instructor who is always available to answer questions with crystal clear explanations. He also shared tips and advice about the M&A and Private equity industry given his long-standing experience in the field. It’s the most useful course I attended during Business School, which gave me a real edge when dealing with robust models in my internship in Real Estate Structured Finance.
Nikolaos Barekas
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ING France, Real Estate Structured Finance Intern
I thoroughly enjoyed the Private Equity Modelling course provided by Leap Finance Academy at ESSEC Business School. The course is designed to be thorough and exhaustive, covering all the tools needed for valuing a company at a Private Equity firm. The instructor during my course, Nikhil, provided detailed and step-by-step explanations for each section (Business plan, financing, tax, etc.) and also provided several tricks to speed up Excel calculations and avoid mistakes. Despite the extensive number of learning hours, the course structure made it extremely easy to follow along!
Roshni Ohri
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Marguerite Advisor SA, Private Equity Intern
I would like to use this opportunity to recommend Nikhil’s Corporate and Private Equity modelling course. The focus on both theory and practice makes it the perfect fit to learn and develop modelling skills. Nikhil is very pedagogical and transforms difficult concepts into tangible skills. This course helped me a lot to secure a full time offer at Deutsche Bank!
Ismail Hajji
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Deutsche Bank, Investment Banking Analyst
The Leap Finance Academy course that I attended is perfectly what I expected from a financial modelling course: technical skills and rules of modelling with fundamental of financial analysis. Nikhil was an attentive and pedagogical professor. I really appreciate the time he gave us and the kindness he shows. His high skills and acknowledges of the investment banking industry were a precious source of learning. The course is a good overview of the financing modelling tasks that junior analysts will carry out in Investment Banking job. As an ESG analyst, I wanted to work on hard skills in corporate finance and this course is perfect for this. I highly recommend it.
Alix Malafosse
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Banque Publique de France, ESG Analyst
I followed a Leap Finance Academy financial modelling class as part of my ESSEC Business School curriculum and it was one of the highlights of my academic year. Following a quick one-day finance and Excel refresher course you will build a financial model step-by-step with the rest of the class. The course is a good fit for students with a first experience in modelling as well as for novice Excel users, with a hands-on approach to ensure you really retain what is being taught. Nikhil is an excellent teacher who is truly passionate about teaching aspiring finance professionals and giving them the right tools to succeed.
Margaux Bazaille
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Galiena Capital, Analyst
I had the chance to follow Nikhil’s Corporate and Private Equity financial modeling course this year. This course offers all the tools needed to understand financial modeling and learn how to create one from scratch, from theoretical knowledge to dynamic testing models. It was a great seminar, and this course allowed me to perform my modeling needs in an effective and robust way during my summer internship in Investment Banking. A very pedagogical instructor, always available to answer inquires and willing to transmit his knowledge on a practical level!
Anne-Sophie Tran
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J.P. Morgan, Analyst Investment Banking
I have been very pleased to follow Nikhil’s financial modelling course. Thanks to his course, I have learned how to build from scratch the financial model of a listed company, how to use all the main valuation methods (DCF, LBO, etc.), and to become more efficient on Excel. Making the bridge between theoretical lessons given at university and competences expected by the highly competitive financial industry, I have managed to outperform my peers during my summer internship at GIC and to be enrolled as a Private Equity trainee at Rothschild & Co. Definitely one of my best courses at ESSEC!
Clément Commaret
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Rothschild & Co, Analyst
I followed Nikhil’s Corporate Finance and Private Equity Modelling class, during the very singular period of lockdown. Despite the added complexity of delivering a technical class through Zoom to more than 50 students, he managed to adapt and provide extremely useful content for both beginners and more experienced users. As this class combined complex model building methods together with best formatting practices he had gathered during his career, it has proved very useful in my starting corporate finance career and I am convinced it will for a long time. Thanks again.
Dorian Chambaud
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PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Analyst – Graduate Programme
After an initial one-day Excel Bootcamp to master Excel, we built a Financial Model from scratch simultaneously with the professor, following precise rules of formatting and engagement. The professor was crystal-clear in his explanations, very hand-on – spending the necessary time on the most complex modules – and gave us a professional insight into Private Equity modelling, which I really enjoyed. An extremely useful and valuable course giving us the necessary tools to become promptly operational as Analysts.
Lúa Rodanés Ossorio
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European Investment Bank, Investment Operations
I had the opportunity to follow the Corporate Finance & Private Equity Financial Modelling course taught by Nikhil at ESSEC. This was one of the best courses I have ever followed as it was very practical and covered all the technicalities encountered by investment banking/private equity analysts. The seminar was well organised: from an Excel Bootcamp we moved progressively towards building a robust and complex model (data inputs and hypothesis, operating model, valuation and LBO models). Thanks to this online course, I was able to perform really well during my internships and it gave me a real edge over the other interns.
Wajdi Oueslati
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Societe Generale, Investment Banking Analyst
Not only was Nikhil available at any time outside of class, he strongly encouraged students to attend his course as he showed us every day how much he cares about teaching. The professor’s enthusiasm over this course was really contagious and it helped me develop a strong interest in financial modelling. Having learnt financial modelling first through a summer internship program at CITI, Nikhil’s class helped me attain a higher level.
Malik Salem
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KPMG, Deal Advisory Consultant
Nikhil was my professor in charge of the Financial Modelling course at ESSEC Business School. In addition to his professionalism and pedagogy, his class was easily one of the best I have had at ESSEC. I learnt an array of skills, including best practices in the finance industry. I recommend this course to anyone interested in Corporate Finance.
Ndiaga Beye
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SouthBridge Group, Investment Banking Analyst
I recommend this course to everyone who wants to succeed in a private equity or M&A career. I’ve taken other finance courses but this hands-on seminar was different. It had an impact. It gave me all the necessary tools, and I hit the ground running when I started in my current role. Tips provided by Nikhil were both practical and to the point.
Thibaut Laberty
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Silver Lake Partners, Private Equity Analyst
I took the Corporate & Private Seminar class with Nikhil during my last semester at ESSEC. It was definitely one of the most useful and interesting courses I have had during my Master. It provides a really solid foundation in financial modelling. I realized this during my M&A internship and then as a TS Analyst. Plus, we could benefit from Nikhil’s experience in Private Equity, his infinite number of tips and good mood.
Ahmed Essakali
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Ornano et Associes, Analyst – Transaction Services
Nikhil’s course is the perfect mix of financial technique and modelling skills. It is highly transposable to a working environment and is a strong asset to have to kickstart one’s career in the financial industry.
Maxime Saunier
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LCM Partners, Investment Analyst
Nikhil was my tutor in private equity modelling, arguably the most practical course I have taken. The course provided a rare glimpse of an analyst’s quantitative work at top tier investment firms and the X factor that differentiates the top performers. Thanks to his effective teaching and industry insight, I passed all modelling tests at Macquarie, Goldman Sachs and Veolia.
Calvin Tse
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Lazard, Analyst

Where our students now work