Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) hosted its highly anticipated Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) final on Friday, November 15.
This prestigious event brought together MBA students from both classes, providing them with a unique opportunity to demonstrate their entrepreneurial and investment acumen.
The competition was spearheaded by postgraduate careers team and alumnus Daniel Shuttleworth, who played a pivotal role in organising and guiding the participants.
Challenging rounds led by industry experts
A total of 10 teams participated in the initial rounds of the competition, undergoing rigorous training sessions led by Daniel Shuttleworth. They also worked alongside experienced alumni and industry professionals, including Graham Davies, Tania Rahman, and Dinali de Silva RTTP.
Following the training sessions, the teams competed in a preliminary round, culminating in the selection of the top four teams for the final.
Finalists gain insights from accomplished entrepreneurs
The final event was graced by the presence of accomplished entrepreneurs Reid Jacoby, Rohith Devanathan, and Julian Buschmaas, who offered invaluable insights.
Additionally, the judging panel comprised Tania Rahman, Jessica Jackson, and John Hammond, all of whom brought a wealth of experience to the evaluation process. Throughout the day, the finalists were tasked with selecting a start-up to invest in and crafting a comprehensive investment strategy. This included due diligence meetings and the preparation of a detailed term sheet - culminating in high-pressure pitch presentations to the judging panel.
Team MancVentures triumphs and heads to regional finals
After an intense and inspiring competition, Team MancVentures emerged as the champions. The winning team, consisting of Abhijit Gaikwad, Animish Kanhere, Abdallah Abdelmoniem, Renee Charles, and Shreya Bahadur, will now represent AMBS at the Europe South Regional Final. The event will be hosted by London Business School.
Their exceptional performance highlights the depth of talent and dedication among the MBA cohort.
Abhijit said, "a lot of thought went into forming our team - we tried to understand what the required strengths were for the competition and pick out people with complementary skillsets. That helped us immensely during the competition."
He went on to say that "for a few of us it was a second attempt at the competition as second year MBAs - so it was about putting the fundamentals right and a year's worth of MBA experience into practice. For Shreya and I, it was our first time doing VCIC, so an exposure to the venture capital process and mindset was a great experience.
"The students all said they would recommend taking part in these competitions ran by the careers team. They give you a platform to practically apply what you are learning during the MBA, an opportunity to network with industry professionals and they give you a sense of achievement while representing the school."
Celebrating success and gratitude to contributors
Congratulations to all participants and a special thanks to the alumni, entrepreneurs, and judges who contributed their time and expertise to make the competition a resounding success.