Venture Capital team wins berth in national tournament
Three Indiana University Maurer School of Law students were part of the winning IU Internal Venture Capital Investment Competition last month, earning a coveted spot in the national competition this spring.
The Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at the IU Maurer School of Law sponsored the 2nd Annual IU Internal Venture Capital Competition on Oct. 31, 2009, at the Law School. In its second year, the competition attracted 40 students from the Law School and the IU Kelley School of Business MBA program, combining into eight teams of five participants.
Members of the winning IU Internal Venture Capital Investment Competition team are (from left), Marshall Magaro, Brian Villa, Emily Geiger, Perry Griffith, and Casey Plant.
In this unique competition, the students sit as venture capitalists, reviewing business plans and requests from funding from real entrepreneurs seeking venture capital. After hearing live "pitches" from the entrepreneurs and an intense round of due diligence questioning, each team chooses a business, drafts a term sheet, and negotiates live with its chosen entrepreneur.
This year's competition was judged by Mike Flannery, JD'83, executive vice-president and CFO of the Duchossois Group in Elmhurst, Ill.; Daniel Boots, senior partner of the Intellectual Property & Technology area at Bingham McHale in Indianapolis; Gary Anderson, venture capitalist in residence at the Kelley School's Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation; and two fourth-year JD/MBAs who were members of last year's national championship VCIC team, Cole Parker and Jon Rinehart.
Congratulations to this year's winning team, Team Jordan, composed of Marshall Magaro, 3L; Brian Villa, 4th-year JD/MBA; Emily Geiger, 2nd-year MBA; Perry Griffith, 2nd-year MBA; and Casey Plant, 3L. The team will advance to represent IU at the regional competition in Pittsburgh in February 2010.
Now in its 11th year, that national VCIC® tournament, developed by the University of North Carolina, has evolved into a marketplace for entrepreneurs seeking investors and a training ground for future venture capitalists. In 2008, VCIC included 40 events in North America, Europe, and Asia and served 500 students, 150 venture capitalists, and 100 entrepreneurs.
