The Smith Entrepreneurship Club is pleased to announce the Venture Capital Investment Competition on February 14-16, 2007 at the Smith School of Business. In the competition, MBA students judge the business plans and pitches of local start-up companies currently seeking funding, choose a company in which to invest, and produce a term sheet for the investment. In turn, the MBA students are judged by real life venture capitalists.
Teams of five students each will participate in the event. At least two students from each team participated in a mandatory training session, which featured learnings from local VC and Smith Entrepreneur-in-residence John LaPides and Cooley Godward Kronish Partner Tami Howie.
On February 14, each team of five will receive the business plans for three companies. They will have a day to review and discuss these plans, before watching pitches from the entrepreneurs involved on February 16. Each team then interviews each of the entrepreneurs before making a final investment decision and producing a term sheet and a presentation on their investment decisions. VCs from area firms listen to each teams rationale and plan, and then chooses a winner for the local competition.
The winners of the Smith local competition will go on to the Southeast Regional Competition at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., which will be held March 8-10. Winners of the regional competition go on to the international finals, which are held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills Kenan-Flagler Business School from April 12 through the 14. Kenan-Flagler started the VCIC 10 years ago to provide business school students with real-life practice in the art of the deal.
The Smith team won the Entrepreneur's Choice Award in last year's regional competition, and placed second in the national competition in 2001.
Susannah Campbell, MBA Candidate 2007, Smith Media Group
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.