“VCIC is like an accelerator for the fundraising process…”

What is VCIC?

At its core, VCIC is an educational event for students to learn about venture capital. Student investment teams evaluate startups (you) and pitch their investment thesis to real investors who are there to judge student performances. More than half of the competing students have real access to capital through their student-run venture funds and/or VC firms where they currently or previously worked. See “Not Just Students” below.

Each regional event has six student teams, 8-12 real investors there to judges student performances, and three startups chosen as finalists for the region. The student teams perform intensive due diligence on all three startups, including one-on-one in-person interviews with you at the event. Each team will propose one mock term sheet for one of the three startups. Apply today.

NOTE: No actual funding occurs at a VCIC event. These startups all raised venture capital funding sometime after participating in VCIC, not necessarily because of VCIC. More about startups that got funded.

APPLY HERE

The Top 4 Reasons Founders Participate in VCIC

1) Access to Investors

Connections

Increase your investor Rolodex with the ones you spend the morning with and the ones they may introduce you to. Over 1,000 investors have participated — SEE LIST.

2) A Wide Variety of Viewpoints

Diversity

With a variety of students from a variety of schools and a variety of investors, your plan gets poked from every angle.
See VCIC DEI page.

3) Genuine Feedback

Keeping it Real

VCs are not known for giving great feedback.

VCIC is! 

4) Deep Dive

Not a beauty pageant!

Participants receive your investor deck days in advance and do a deep dive into your materials before “griling” you in-person at the event.

APPLY HERE

What the Day Looks Like for Founders

Not Just “Students”

Our students have real-world experience, too. Below are firms represented by students at the 2022 VCIC Global Finals.

  • 1855 Capital
  • Accel-KKR
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Big Red Ventures
  • Blu Ventures
  • Blue Bear Capital
  • Boulder Ventures
  • CincyTech USA
  • Citrine Angels
  • Clarke Capital Partners
  • Clearstone Associates
  • College Ventures Network
  • Contrary
  • DECODE
  • Deming Center Venture Fund
  • Dorm Room Fund
  • Dynamo Ventures
  • EPIC Ventures
  • Esplanade Ventures
  • Falkon Ventures
  • Folklore Ventures
  • Forté Ventures
  • Framework Venture Partners
  • Generation Capital
  • Greenspring
  • Haas Impact Fund
  • Insight Partners
  • Intact
  • Kickstart Fund
  • Lavrock Ventures
  • Leavitt Equity Partners
  • Listen Ventures
  • Living Fund
  • M33 Growth
  • Mayfield Fund
  • BYU Cougar Capital
  • Miami Univ. Social Impact Fund
  • Motus Ventures
  • Oxford Seed Fund
  • Plug and Play Tech Center
  • Primary Venture Partners
  • Purple Sage Ventures
  • Qingsong Fund
  • Radazon Capital
  • Revolution
  • Ripple Ventures
  • Roble Capital Partners
  • Round13 Capital
  • Sage Venture Partners
  • SageLink Capital
  • Savano Capital Partners
  • Signal Peak Ventures
  • Silicon Valley Bank
  • Silversmith Capital Partners
  • Sorenson Capital Partners
  • Squadra Ventures
  • Techstars
  • UNC Kenan-Flagler PE Fund
  • University Growth Fund
  • Univ. of Waterloo Student Venture Fund
  • WJ Partners
  • Zell Capital

Where are VCIC Regional Events?

Austin
Bangalore
Barcelona
Boston (2)
Boulder
Chicago		Harrisonburg, VA
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hanover (2)
Houston
Hyderabad
London		Los Angeles
Palo Alto
Santa Clara
Singapore
Storrs, CT
see bracket

A Typical VCIC Event Includes…

Partner universities:

Below are some of the VCIC founders who went on to get funded.
More fundings here.