The SVCIC is NOT a business plan competition! The SVCIC experience includes a wide variety of challenges in a WIN-WIN-WIN convergence of three elite groups: top MBA students, visionary socially — or sustainably-minded entrepreneurs and successful Venture Capitalists, each of whom has much to learn from the others.

Top MBA Students WIN

SVCIC is designed first and foremost for the student experience. Each student team plays the role of a venture capital firm that must go through the entire VC investment process in an extremely condensed time period. Each team will:

• Read real business plans from social/sustainable entrepreneurs currently seeking VC funding
• Watch entrepreneurs "road-show" pitches
• Sit down for a one-on-one interview with each entrepreneur
• Choose the deal in which their fund will invest
• Structure the deal, create an executive summary, term sheet summaries and PowerPoint presentation pitch

Student teams will be evaluated on how well they identify and mitigate risk, assess social and environmental impact, understand the VC process, and communicate and work as a team.

Visionary Entrepreneurs WIN

Entrepreneurs are the life-blood of SVCIC; they share their visions and dreams with the students. They also challenge students to identify the critical risks and milestones necessary to succeed in their vision. Years of painstaking effort are condensed into a written plan and a 10-minute pitch to be quickly digested by teams. In the matter of a few hours, entrepreneurs:

• Submit their written business plans for review by top MBA students
• Practice their road shows in front of a large, highly educated audience
• Conduct mock-interviews with each team, gaining valuable insights as to what is missing in their plan and their pitch
• Receive copies of all team deliverables, including term sheets
• Network with leading social/sustainable venture capitalists

Successful Venture Capitalists WIN

While students and entrepreneurs are participating in this simulated human drama, a panel of VCs observes from the periphery. After the entrepreneurs depart, the tables are turned, and the students must start pitching. They must convince their "partners," the VCs acting as judges, that their investment decisions are sound, there will be reasonable returns for the risk taken and that their investment has a social or environmental impact. The VC judges then pepper the teams with questions, digging deep into the team's decisions. Finally, judges must choose a winner — the team they would most like to have as their VC partner. Venture capitalists walk away from the two-day event with an enhanced network of colleagues, an intimate understanding of a few high-impact businesses, and a connection to the industry's next infusion of MBA talent.