An American investment competition has crossed the pond to offer British entrepreneurs a chance at “a real-world venture capitalist experience”, according to its organisers.
London Business School is playing host to the three-day Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), which began yesterday and marks the first time that MBA students from business schools across Europe will compete to qualify for the competition’s final round in the United States.
The competition is sponsored Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund, and involves entrepreneurs from companies currently seeking funding pitching to business school teams, which include Oxford University, Cambridge University, INSEAD, IESE Business School, Erasmus and HEC.
A judging panel of members of the London venture capital community is on hand to evaluate the MBA teams on the quality of their decision-making, teamwork and presentations.
“The feedback from previous competitions in the US is that the VCIC is the best educational experience of people’s MBA careers and that the entrepreneurs really appreciate the feedback and the connections they make,” said John Mullins, associate professor at the London Business School.
“We are delighted to be hosting this inaugural European event and thank Doughty Hanson for their sponsorship.”
London Business School is competing in another qualifying heat against other MBA schools from the United States in March, with the grand final scheduled at the University of North Carolina in April 2006.
