Judges
Our judges will be joining us from some of the top venture capital firms in the space including:
Entrepreneurs
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.
UNC Kenan-Flagler Center for Sustainable Enterprise
UNC Kenan-Flagler Net Impact
UNC Kenan-Flagler Entrepreneurship Club
]]>Sustainable VC Metrics w/B Lab Associate Beth Richardson and HIP Investor Founder and CEO Paul Herman
Monday, March 8th, 6-7pm EST
Dial-in #: 605-715-4949
Passcode: 624276
Url: http://my.dimdim.com/mchasnow
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
Dial-in #: 702-473-3463
Passcode: 624276
Url: http://my.dimdim.com/mchasnow
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.
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.
]]>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.
This year’s winners were:
Enjoy the video...
]]>We're excited about seeing everyone Friday with game faces on!
]]>We are excited to have several returning judges as well as a number of first-timers! Firms represented include:
Don't you just wish that we'd tell you who the entrepreneurs at SVCIC 2009 will be? Be patient eager analyst, the identity of participating entrepreneurs will be revealed on Monday, March 23.
Sponsors make SVCIC possible. Especially in such a tough economic climate, we truly appreciate the sponsorship of these amazing organizations.
]]>The SVCIC is the only MBA competition in which students evaluate business plans that incorporate financial profitability, environmental integrity and social equity from entrepreneurs actively seeking venture capital funding.
The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business earned second place, while the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley won the "Entrepreneurs’ Choice" award as the team that most impressed the entrepreneurs.
MBA student teams from eight top business schools competed in the event. In addition to the winning teams, competing schools also were New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Columbia Business School, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and UNC Kenan-Flagler.
Student teams played the role of venture capitalists (VCs). They reviewed four business plans and conducted research and interviewed the entrepreneurs at those firms. They were judged on their ability to identify and mitigate risk, their VC industry knowledge, application of triple-bottom line frameworks, communication and teamwork.
Business plans considered for the competition this year were from:
Unlike other MBA competitions that use theoretical scenarios, SVCIC exposes students to a variety of activities that must be integrated into a cohesive investment strategy to be pitched to real venture capitalists.
"SVCIC is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet and be challenged by like-minded peers," said Walker T. Lunn, CEO of EnviRelations and guest entrepreneur.
Judges for the competition came from:
Sponsors include:
MBA student teams from eight top schools competed in the second annual Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition (SVCIC). Playing the role of venture capitalists, the teams interacted with real entrepreneurs from real companies, and developed a cohesive investment strategy that they pitched to real venture capitalists.
An MBA team from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management won the competition, and a team from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, won second place. The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business won the "Entrepreneurs’ Choice" as the team that most impressed the entrepreneurs. Other teams that participated include:
SCVIC is unlike other MBA competitions that use theoretical scenarios.
"SVCIC is the ideal intersection of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s expertise in sustainable enterprise and entrepreneurial studies with our commitment to creating opportunities for our students to apply what they’ve learned," said Katie Kross, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler.
Teams were judged on their ability to identify and mitigate risk, VC industry knowledge, application of triple-bottom-line frameworks, communication and teamwork. One of the judges was Deb Parsons, marketing and operations officer for Good Capital, and a 2006 graduate of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Program. She launched SVCIC while she was a student as an outgrowth of her belief that business can be a catalyst for social and environmental change.
Other judges represented such companies as:
Sponsors included:
SVCIC is organized by MBA students at UNC Kenan-Flagler and supported by its Center for Sustainable Enterprise, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the UNC Kenan-Flagler chapter of Net Impact, a network of more than 10,000 new-generation leaders committed to using the power of business to improve the world.
Student organizers of the SVCIC were inspired by UNC Kenan-Flagler’s successful Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC®), the nation’s premiere strategy competition for venture-minded and entrepreneurial MBA students. The VCIC is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
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