MBA Student Voices

Looking back at the Venture Capital Investment Competition

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 15:30:53 +0000

Looking back at the Venture Capital Investment Competition Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/24/2019 - 09:30

Matt Haughom

The Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is the world’s largest venture capital competition with 81 universities competing this year. If you want an idea of what the competition is like, below is a graphic from the VCIC website that explains the competition.

The CU VCIC team is normally comprised of seven members: five competition members (usually a mix of 2^nd-year MBAs and 2L-3L Law School students, though this year it was all MBAs) and two reserves (two 1^st-year MBAs). The five competition members compete officially while the two reserves help the team prepare for the competition. The two reserves then become the team’s captains the following year (similar to Hank and I this year).

In early-February, CU Leeds hosted a regional event with six teams including BYU, a perpetual VCIC powerhouse who ended up placing 2^nd in the Global Finals this year. Hosting is a great opportunity to give the CU VCIC team a taste of what the competition is like before actually competing in it. Also, because we were a host school, we were afforded the opportunity to compete at the Super Regionals in San Francisco, against the rest of the host schools.

Silicon Valley Super Regionals in San Francisco, CA

In late-February, we flew to San Francisco and took 2^nd Place at the Super Regionals, just behind USC and just ahead of Rice University! All three teams were invited to compete at the Global Finals in Chapel Hill, NC, against the winners from the other regions around the world.

In addition to our rousing 2^nd Place finish at the Super Regionals, we were fortunate enough to earn the Entrepreneur’s Choice Award, an honor bestowed by the four evaluated startup businesses to the team that they liked the best. We were particularly proud to receive this award not only because of the class of competition we were up against, but because likeability is an essential characteristic for a successful VC firm.

VCIC Global Finals in Chapel Hill, NC

Our Global Finals experience hosted by the UNC Keenan-Flagler Business School was great. We went head to head with the best teams in the world and finished a very respectable 7^th out of 16 high-powered teams. We obviously had hoped for a top-6 showing, but were still proud of our performance. At this point in the competition, all of the teams are so strong that placing can be separated by the slimmest of margins.

One huge benefit of participating in VCIC is that it perfectly complements the Venture Capital Law class co-taught by industry titans, Brad Bernthal and Jason Mendelson. MBAs are encouraged to take this (and other grad classes out of business school) while at Leeds to learn how venture capitalists analyze companies and term sheets. Additionally, networking with students from around the world who are also interested in venture capital was a ton of fun. It’s such a small community that many of us will run into each other in the future!

Moving forward, I'm grateful for this experience and I look forward to helping out future generations of CU VCIC teams.

-Matt Haughom

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How to Study for the GMAT Part II: A Student’s Perspective

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:26:20 +0000

How to Study for the GMAT Part II: A Student’s Perspective Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/07/2019 - 12:26

Deidre Zuniga , Leeds Evening MBA ‘20

As I began doing my research on the University of Colorado Boulder and more specifically the Leeds School of Business for an MBA program, one of the first things that caught my eye was that they accepted official GMAT or GRE scores. Why did I choose the GMAT you ask? For one, the GMAT is uniquely positioned when it comes to business schools. It is the only standardized assessment created by business schools for business schools. As someone with a bachelor’s in business, I figured that this would be the best option for me.

How many times did you take the GMAT?

I ended up taking the GMAT two times, the second time being an opportunity to increase my chances of receiving a merit-based scholarship. Side note: make sure you carve out enough time to allow yourself to retake the test if need be. Don’t wait for the last round of the admission process!

What did you use to study? Did you use a study service (Princeton Review, Magoosh, etc) or buy a book?

My first time prepping for the exam I purchased the GMAT Official Guide Bundle, that includes 3 books: quantitative, verbal and general review as well as an online component. It was great to use as a starting point and really allows you to breakout your studying by each section of the exam.

The second time around I decided to invest in The Princeton Review Self-Paced GMAT Prep that currently costs $499. As an alumna of Arizona State University, I was able to get a discounted price on this package. I would advise everyone to do their research and see if their alma mater provides any complimentary or discounted rates!

How long did you take to study? Was it a power session for a month or did you spread it out over 6 months?

Accelerated studying is far from my style. I started studying for the GMAT six months prior to my original test date. When I decided to retake the GMAT for a second time, my timeline was cut in half: three months. I really think you need to self-reflect on how you prefer to study to help gage a proper timeline.

What was it like studying while you were working full time?

When I first began studying for the GMAT, it was a hard adjustment from my typical day-to-day. On average, I studied three nights a week plus one day on the weekend. What motivated me the most during this process was having a clear understanding that this was preparation for an intensive program and getting me into the habit of studying again.

Any tips for those studying or taking the test?

Carve out time on the calendar.

Hold yourself accountable and make sure you hit your weekly goals of putting in hours of studying.

Creating specific, targeted goals.

Just like most exams, you are given a certain period of time to complete each section of the GMAT. Goals like decreasing the amount of time from 2 minutes to 1:45 for answering data sufficiency questions or refreshing sentence structure will not only provide you with more time during the exam, but truly gives you the opportunity to measure your success.

Coach or self-study?

It is important to know yourself first and foremost. If I had the opportunity to change my study habits, I would have invested in live instruction with a test-prep coach. To set yourself up for success, it is essential to know if you have the self-discipline to self-prep or prefer an environment where questions and clarification is readily available.

Create a test-center environment.

If you are planning to study six months out, I don’t see an issue studying in an environment where you are comfortable (i.e. - your home, your favorite coffee shop), but three months out I would begin changing your study environment. Take off your headphones, water unfortunately must wait and find a space with little-to-no noise because all of this is frowned upon at the test center.

Go in with confidence!

Yes, this test can be intimidating, but you have put in the time and effort to return positive results. Be your biggest cheerleader.

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Strong Teams Highlight Lively 19th Annual Net Impact Case Competition

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 19:43:50 +0000

Strong Teams Highlight Lively 19th Annual Net Impact Case Competition Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/27/2019 - 12:43

Ryan Quigley

Do you remember back in October when the CU Net Impact Club ventured to Phoenix, AZ to attend the 2018 Net Impact Conference? Besides hearing from amazing speakers and networking with countless businesses and MBA students from around the world, the club was also recruiting teams for the 19th Annual Net Impact Case Competition which is hosted by the Leeds School of Business.

On February 8th and 9th, teams from all over the world traveled to beautiful Boulder, CO to compete in the final round of the Net Impact Case Competition sponsored by Danone North America! The top 18 teams, consisting of graduate students from the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Insead, University of Washington, Ohio State University, University of Indiana, and University of Minnesota, among others, presented their carefully developed solutions to a panel of esteemed judges for their chance to compete for the top prize of $10,000! (Note – to maintain the integrity of the competition, as host, the Leeds School of Business does not field a team in the competition.)

Congratulations to our podium finishers: University of Utah (1st Place), University of Denver (2nd Place), and UC Berkeley (3rd Place)!The Net Impact Case Competition is the only student-run case competition of its kind and we are pleased to announce the successful completion of its 19th year with the Leeds School of Business. We would like to thank all the judges, sponsors, and volunteers for being so generous with their time, as well as all of the competing teams for making this year's event truly special.

For more pictures and information on next year's competition, please visit http://netimpactcc.org/.

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A Day in the Life of a Second Year MBA

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 23:50:14 +0000

A Day in the Life of a Second Year MBA Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/10/2019 - 16:50

Hank Partlow

Morning:

6:30am: Time to wake up! Put down some water, a banana and a handful of almonds then bike off to the Rec Center, 10ish minutes away.
7:00-8:00am: Get a workout in
8:30am: Back to the townhouse, welcomed by a breakfast sandwich made by the lovely and wonderful girlfriend who I’ve been living with since I moved to Boulder: Toasted English muffin, avocado spread on one half, hummus on the other. Fried egg, spinach, Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, red cabbage and bacon. Finished off with a coffee and a protein shake.
9:00am – 10:00am: Finish breakfast listening to a podcast – Up First by NPR. Shower and get ready for the day.
10:00 – 10:35am: Reply to emails I’ve been putting off for the last few days, skim a pair of Axios daily newsletters and put down a second cup of coffee before biking to Koelbel – an MBA’s home for the two-year program.
Arrive 10 minutes before my first and only class of the day: Entrepreneurial Finance.
11:00 – 12:20: Class time

Midday:

12:30pm: Lunch with Matt Walker, my Co-President of the MBA Finance Club to discuss our upcoming club kickoff meeting being held Friday. We decide topics of conversation and how we want to set the tone for the year all while making the most of the all you can eat buffet at the C4C for only $8.72.
2:00pm: Bike back to the town house which is 15ish minutes away.
2:00-3:00pm: Prep for an informational interview with Portland Seed Fund’s managing director, Jim Huston.
3:00-4:00pm: Hold first call with Jim Huston who I was introduced to via my Portland network who I’ve asked to introduce me to VC’s/Entrepreneurs in the area. Taking elaborate notes to refer to for our next conversation – coffee the next time I’m back on the west coast.

Evening:

4:00-5:00pm: Review the entrepreneurial finance spreadsheets from today’s class/check on the fantasy team. BIG responsibility being commissioner of the MBA fantasy football league.
5:00-5:15pm: Prep for old man softball league – gather equipment and schedule Uber to field. Girlfriend and I share a car and she was using the Subaru to attend a workout class at a local park.
6:00-7:00pm: SOFTBALL WIN! Final score: 6-16 (is that right?) secure 16^th win in a row. The Garbage Hounds are looking good for fall season after adding two superior athletes from the MBA class of 2019 – Scott Ibaraki and Ryan Quigley.
7:15pm: Return home and prep dinner. Baked veggies and sausage. Shower while the goodness is cooking in the oven.
8:00pm: Eat dinner with the girlfriend to an episode of Ozarks – love that show. SEASON 2 are you kidding me?!
9:00-9:45pm: Read case study in preparation for VC Law the following morning.
9:45-10:30pm: Prep for bed. Close out the night with a chapter of Venture Deals, a book co-authored by one of the VC Law professors, Jason Mendelson.
10:30-6:00am: SLEEP! Ready for the next day and the VC Law class at 8:00am.

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