Top Business School to Host Capital Contest

venture capital investment contest

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 13, 2007 -- Top business school to host venture capital contest The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (http://ChicagoGSB.edu), one of the top business schools in the world, is conducting a venture capital investment contest for its MBA students.

Sponsored by the school's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship (http://ChicagoGSB.edu/entrepreneurship), student teams will assume the role of mock venture capital firms with $150 million to spend on business opportunities. Real entrepreneurs who are seeking funding will make presentations to the students, then each student team evaluates the available investment options and decides where to place their money.

After the students interview real-life entrepreneurs and assess the entrepreneurs' business plans, they will present investment recommendations to a judging panel of real venture capitalists. The contest, set for January 25, 2008, will determine the winning team to represent Chicago GSB at the regional and national Venture Capital and Investment Competition. Chicago GSB will compete at the regional competition at the University of Colorado-Boulder on February 8th, and qualifying teams will advance to the final competition at the University of North Carolina to be held April 17-19th in Chapel Hill, NC.

"This venture capital competition is another excellent example of the real-world experiences offered to Chicago GSB students to enhance their academic curriculum," said Ellen Rudnick, Executive Director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship. "As students interact with real entrepreneurs and simulate the venture capital investment process, they are gaining valuable skills that have helped lead many to successful careers in venture capital and as entrepreneurs."

This is the fourth year Chicago GSB has held its internal venture capital investment competition (http://www.chicagogsb.edu/entrepreneurship/events/competitions/#VCIC), which is one of several competitions offered to students throughout the year by the Polsky Center.

Other competitions at Chicago GSB include the New Venture Challenge (http://www.chicagonvc.com)   , where students develop plans for new businesses. Since the program started in 1997, more than 40 of the plans have turned into real companies which received more than $100 million in financing as a result of their participation in the competition.

Chicago GSB also offers a private equity/venture capital laboratory course where MBA students work as interns on specific assignments for venture capital and private equity firms. The course is designed to complement academic courses through hands-on experience in the analysis and understanding of investment decisions of venture capitalists and private investment firms.
            
The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business is one of the leading business schools in the world. The school's faculty includes many renowned scholars and its graduates include many business leaders across the U.S. and worldwide. It is consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the world. The Chicago Approach to Management Education is distinguished by how it leverages fundamental knowledge, its rigor, and its practical application to business challenges.
   
The Michael P. Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship provides a variety of programs and resources to Chicago GSB students and alumni as they pursue entrepreneurial endeavors and careers in venture capital and private equity. The center supports entrepreneurial development through its cutting-edge curriculum, faculty research, experiential learning and community outreach programs. For more information visit http://ChicagoGSB.edu/entrepreneurship/
            
Chicago GSB offers full-time and part-time MBA programs, an executive MBA program, a Ph.D. program, open enrollment executive education and custom corporate education.
   
More information about the school and its programs can be found at http://ChicagoGSB.edu.

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