MBA Students Win National VC Investment Competition

Five University of Washington students won the National Venture Capital Investment Competition held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The UW Business School's Center for Technology Entrepreneurship (CTE) sponsored the team of four master's of business administration students: Andy Baldridge, Shaun Westfall, Uday Keshavdas and Balu Chenicheri; and Joy Ghosh, a fourth-year UW Medical School and CTE student.

The event required student teams to assume the role of a venture capital firm. Each school was given a hypothetical $100 million fund to invest in and had 48 hours to evaluate five bona fide business plans and then decide where to invest their money. They then had to defend their decisions to a judging panel of venture capitalists. The UW team won the $15,000 first prize. This is the first time our entrepreneurship students have won a national competition.

The UW edged out University of Texas, Austin, Cornell, MIT, Notre Dame, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and University of Virginia.

"This victory is a true testament to the hard work and capabilities of UW students drawn from across campus, their dedicated and selfless instructor, Emer Dooley, and the enormous support provided by our entrepreneurship and VC community," said Suresh Kotha, UW professor and faculty director of the Center for Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Return to May 2004 MBA Alumni News