As SVCIC approaches, we are pleased to announce more details about this year's event. Through the involvement of successful venture capitalists and top MBA programs from around the world, we are excited about the first global SVCIC competition.
Judges
Our judges will be joining us from some of the top venture capital firms in the space including:
We know the wait is driving you crazy, but please be patient eager analyst. The identity of participating entrepreneurs will be revealed shortly before the competition.
Teams
Some of the top MBA programs in the world will also be represented including UNC Kenan-Flagler, Penn (Wharton), NYU (Stern), Oxford (Saïd), Michigan (Ross), Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), and Georgetown (McDonough).
Sponsors
Sponsors make SVCIC possible. Especially in such a tough economic climate, we truly appreciate the sponsorship of these amazing organizations.
Calling all SVCIC participants and interested parties! To help prepare you for the competition and satisfy your curiosity, we have organized two educational opportunities with experts in the field and former competition winners. We hope you enjoy these events and find them valuable in your preparation for this year's event. The dates and topics are as follows:
Sustainable VC Metrics w/B Lab Associate Beth Richardson and HIP Investor Founder and CEO Paul Herman Monday, March 8th, 6-7pm EST
Beth Richardson, will speak about measuring social return on investment (SROI) and the B Lab Impact Ratings System. Paul Herman, founder of HIP (Human Impact + Profit), will discuss HIP’s social impact investment methodology and other strategies for measuring social impact.
As background, prior to joining B Lab, Beth worked at Ashoka, Self Help Credit Union, and co-founded Zebra Crossings – an organization that imported fair trade gifts and accessories from South Africa. Beth received a BA in Comparative Area Studies at Duke University, and received her MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler. Paul earned a finance degree from the Wharton School, and worked at McKinsey and the Omidyar Network prior to founding HIP Investor.
Winning SVCIC Strategies w/Investor Circle’s Molly Deringer and Stern 2009 SVCIC Winner Elli Stephanede Wednesday, March 10th, 1-2pm EST
Molly and Elli will lead a discussion on 1) Incorporating sustainability into due diligence, 2) Metrics and strategies for evaluating business plans, and 3) Key takeaways/pointers for SVCIC participants. We will also make sure to have time for Q&A.
As background Molly Deringer is the Entrepreneur Services Manager for Investors Circle. Prior to Investors Circle, Molly received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University and worked in the Strategic Policy office at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Elli is a 2nd year MBA student at NYU Stern. She has extensive international development experience, and also worked with the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF) last summer.
The SVCIC team has set March 19-20 as the date for our 5th annual SVCIC competition. School invitations for SVCIC 2010 are coming soon. If you haven’t gotten yours, feel free to reach out by using the "Contact Us" form.
We are excited to build on last year’s successful event, in which eight of the top ranked MBA programs fielded teams (including NYU, the 2009 winner), with more pre-event education sessions with participating schools this year. In addition, to negotiations with real entrepreneurs and feedback from experienced VC judges, the SVCIC team is looking for ways to include webinars with former SVCIC participants to provide pointers for the competition, and a session with a practitioner on how to incorporate sustainability into the VC due diligence process. Moreover, for the broader public we plan to build out an education section to our website that provides sustainable VC frameworks and documents (e.g., due diligence checklists, sustainable VC research).
Be on the lookout for updates. We will be in touch soon, and look forward to making the 5th annual SVCIC a success.
If we have gleaned anything from recent market disruptions, it is that our accepted modes of business and metrics of success have soured. From Wall St. to Main St., Capitol Hill to Chapel Hill, classic frameworks are breaking down and business as usual is no longer good enough. It’s 2009, it’s a new economy, and it is time for a new way of investing. Welcome to SVCIC!
Each Spring, teams of the nation’s brightest and most innovative MBAs gather in Chapel Hill to test their ability to "save the world," one investment at a time. In a year of turmoil and change, the 2009 competition proved no different. Not only did the competition present a strikingly realistic opportunity for students to engage in the VC experience, the competition also pushed MBA teams, as well as professional VC judges, to think deeply about the inherent role of VC to drive innovation and the role that Sustainable Ventures have to play as we fix our economy.
From the onset, it was evident that things were going to be a little different this year. Using the 1965 Oscar-winning animated short-film, The Dot and the Line, an economic comparison was drawn between the squiggle (pure-play sustainable companies) and the line (business as usual). The Moral of the Story: Learning to bend and remaining flexible can be very profitable. The entrepreneurs that SVCIC highlights illustrate New Market Sustainable Ventures that can “bend” to solve more than one problem at a time. But view the film (embedded below) and decide for yourself whether the line should bend, or the squiggle should straighten up!
Whether you will only work for a sustainable venture with a positive impact mission, you are willing to make change from within a conventional company, or you are a VC that invests in marginally sustainable companies with the intention to pushing them closer to sustainability, your interest were represented at SVCIC 2009. Whether you were a VC Judge, an Entrepreneur, or an MBA participant, there was something for everyone as evidenced by an even selection of entrepreneurs from the MBA investors; all four entrepreneurs received investments.
In all, 2009 SVCIC was a rousing success! “It's astounding to see the high calibre talent of the teams!” says Jonathan Philips of Anka Funds. Terri Spath of RSF Social Finance agrees: “Everything went very smoothly, the teams were outstanding, and the companies interesting.” This event is truly setting a standard for innovation-focused thinking on sustainability. It is this type of thinking that will lead us as we evolve from the old ways of doing business into a new economy, and Kenan-Flagler is happy play a part.
SVCIC 2009 is finally upon us! Yesterday at 5PM the entrepreneurs for this year's competition were announced. We're happy to have four very exciting companies joining us this year, including:
Friday, March 5, 2010 at 2:47PM 