There are five template emails below: 1) sample invitation; 2) pitch decks; 3) night before reminder; 4) during event voting; 5) during event written deliverables

Sample Invitation

You are cordially invited to be a judge at the
VCIC {insert region name} Regional Finals

Venture Capital Investment Competition
www.vcic.org
Hosted by: {insert host school name}
Friday/Saturday, {insert date}
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. agenda

VCIC is not a pitch competition!
It’s a role-playing competition in which students get to be VCs for the day.
Real startups pitch and negotiate term sheets with the students.

Quick links:   VCIC Judges Info  |  What VCIC is Like for VCs

Two Days Prior to Event

{Forward the email you sent to teams and add this to the top, changing the shared folder link to the judges’ shared folder}

{Copy/paste from here to bottom.}

VCIC Judges,

We have six very excited teams ready to meet you on {ORGANIZER: Friday/Saturday}! Below is the email we just sent to them to kick off the competition.

You can click here to make a copy of the judging form {ORGANIZER: include custom link for YOUR judging forms} that you’ll be using during the event to take notes and score the teams. We recommend you bring a laptop to take notes on the form, though you can print it on legal-sized paper. We will not collect these forms (see instructions on the form). When interacting with teams during the event, you always have three options:

  1. FEEDBACK: Look for something they did well and something they could improve.
  2. QUESTIONS: Make sure you get the info you need to pick a winning team. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions!
  3. PERSPECTIVE: Explain how you might have handled the situation/term sheet/Q&A, etc.

Here is a SHARED FOLDER {linked} with pitch decks and other key event information. Please take a look at the startup pitch decks prior to arriving {Friday/Saturday} at 8:30AM at ______. Parking is available _____.

If you would like to see how the day will work at the event, see VCIC-What It’s Like for Judges, but don’t worry, we’ll let you know where you need to be and what you need to do throughout the day.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email me if you have ANY questions.

Best,

{include mobile phone number in case of emergency}

Night Before Reminder

{Copy/paste from here to bottom.}

VCIC Judges,

We’re excited to see you in the morning! We’ll have a simple breakfast for you when you arrive at 8:30AM. (include location/parking instructions)

Here is the link again for your own copy of the judging form {ORGANIZER: use your custom link}. We recommend you bring a laptop to take notes on the form, or you can print it on legal-sized paper. We will not collect nor distribute these forms! They are for you only as you decide your top teams and as you provide feedback to all teams.

Speaking of feedback, any time you interact with students, you may take any of these approaches:

  1. FEEDBACK: Look for something they did well and something they could improve.
  2. QUESTIONS: Make sure you get the info you need to pick a winning team. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions!
  3. PERSPECTIVE: Explain how you might have handled the situation/term sheet/Q&A, etc.

Here is the SHARED FOLDER {linked} again with pitch decks and other key event information.

Please do not hesitate to email me if you have ANY questions.

Best,

{include mobile phone number in case of emergency}

During the Event – Voting

{Send this email DURING the event just after due diligence sessions so that judges will have the link handy in their inbox.}

Judges – here is the link to vote for your #1, #2 and #3 teams for this round: ___________

Remember, we do not collect your judging forms. Those are to help you pick your top 3 teams. You will vote 3 times today:

  1. Due diligence (now)
  2. Written deliverables (after the panel partner meetings)
  3. Partner meetings (after individual partner meetings)

After your 3rd vote, you can also go back and re-vote for earlier rounds if you learn something in the individual meetings that changes your mind. Only your latest vote for each round will count.

During the Event – Written Deliverables

{Send this email DURING the event just before Partner Meetings.}

Judges – here is the link to team deliverables {linked to shared folder}. Please ONLY LOOK AT THE NEXT TEAM’S deliverables for now. We will go one at a time in this order:

  • 1:50 Dogwood
  • 2:10 Fir
  • 2:30 Ash
  • 2:50 Birch
  • 3:10 Elm
  • 3:30 Cherry