VCIC Agenda for Startups

VCIC events run on a Friday or Saturday morning and follow a natural arc. You open with your pitch, move through six focused investor-style meetings, then sit down to a lunch that’s more than just lunch. And if the student teams like what they see, you could leave with an invitation that opens doors nationally.

  • Before the event, student teams receive your deck for a deep dive before you arrive.
  • On the morning of the event, you and two other startups begin with a 10-minute pitch to an audience of around 60, including the student teams, VC and angel investors, VC-related academic advisors, and VCIC organizers.
  • After pitching, you break out into your own due diligence room and meet with each of the six teams one-on-one for a focused Q&A session.
  • Next is lunch with the investors who have just spent several hours watching teams dissect your business. They are there not just to judge students, but to meet founders, make connections, and give back to the ecosystem.
  • After the event, you will receive written feedback from every team: detailed, honest, and actionable. These include summaries of why the did or did not invest, and mock term sheets if they did.
  • When the dust settles, the founder who receives the most term sheets is named Most VC-Backable Startup for the region and earns an invitation to VCIC Global Finals in April — an intensive experience in Chapel Hill with the winning teams from every region and investors and startups from across the country.
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Who will be in the room with you

Participating VC firms by city

Click on city to see firms that participated in VCIC 2024-26.

Is VCIC Right for You?

  • You see the value of networking with ±8 investors and interacting with 6 student investing teams in one morning.

  • You can attend a half-day event on a Friday or Saturday morning at one of our regional locations — or are willing to travel to a nearby event.

  • You have already raised a meaningful pre-seed or seed round and are preparing for your next raise.

  • You are raising a priced equity round (Series A or a robust seed round). SAFEs and convertible notes are fine for your actual raise. We just ask you to propose a priced round for the event, as a useful dress rehearsal for the conversation you’ll eventually have with investors.

  • You are comfortable sharing your deck with student teams under NDA a few days before the event.

VCIC Founder Testimonials

“…an invaluable experience…sharpened my pitching skills and provided actionable feedback.”

Irena King, Surgicure

“The student teams were extremely sharp and their feedback led to some direct changes in our messaging.”

Tim Hansen, Carketa
“We received lots of intros to the best VCs because of the people we met through VCIC.”
David Spratte and Kasper Kubica, Carpe Lotion

“As a first-time founder, VCIC provided me with critical insights into the fundraising process.”

Tyler Morgan, Upkid

Not Just “Students”

Many VCIC competitors already have VC experience and many more will soon be analysts, associates, and principals, at the beginning of their careers. At a recent Global Finals, students came from firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Insight Partners, Techstars, Revolution, and many others.

What happens next

After you submit an interest form, your information will be forwarded to your regional organizer at one of the host schools listed below. Because our events run across multiple locations from late January through early March, timing varies — if your startup looks like a strong fit, your regional organizer will reach out directly as their event takes shape. Questions in the meantime? Email vcic@unc.edu.

Click here for an example of a VCIC regional event. 

VCIC Regional Host Schools

An organizer from one of these schools will be in touch. Or email vcic@unc.edu and we will connect you directly.

Confidentiality

All student participants sign the VCIC non-disclosure agreement before receiving any startup materials. Your deck is shared only with the teams and judges at your specific event. Here’s the VCIC NDA.

let us know you’re interested