New Venture Competition
New Venture Competition 2018
The 2018 New Venture Competition (NVC) competition is open to all alumni ventures, including both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. Winners will represent the New York and Northeastern Regional at the Global Semifinals in Boston in April.
New York and Northeastern region includes New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, but we welcome applications from all states as long as you are able to travel to New York for the regional events.
WHY APPLY?
NVC is an excellent launchpad to join the buzzing New York startup ecosystem where some of the most successful U.S. startups and prominent VCs are located. This is your chance to get great feedback and move your company forward by showcasing your company to a large group of potential partners, such as investors and advisors. Plus, we offer cash prizes and in-kind services to help with your startup’s needs.
Applications closed on January 29, 2018. Check back next year to apply for the 2019 regional competition and a chance to receive invaluable feedback, gain access to one of the world’s most powerful networks, and win prizes!
Each Regional Applicant receives:
- Feedback and access to potential advisors and investors through our NVC-NY Mentorship Program
- Exposure to the NY entrepreneurship community through our NVC-NY Startup Showcase
- Opportunity to win terrific cash and in-kind service prizes!
For more information, contact Senem Yaman ’13 at syaman (at) mba2013.hbs.edu.
NVC is sponsored by HBS’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and Alumni Clubs & Associations. The New York and Northeastern Regional competition is sponsored by the Harvard Business School Club of New York.
Prizes & Sponsors
New York and Northeastern Regional Winners receive cash and in-kind prizes from our Sponsors:
Cash
- 1st Place Prize: $10,000
- 2nd Place Prize: $2,500
- Best Early Stage Startup: $2,500
Platinum Sponsors Google Cloud
- $100K Google Cloud Startup Support package* (Cloud and Firebase Credits) for the 1st and 2nd Place Winners
- $20K Google Cloud Startup Support package* (Cloud and Firebase Credits) for the Early Stage Winner
- Dedicated start-up technical office hours
- In-depth 1:1 architecture reviews with Google engineers
- Invitations to exclusive local Google Cloud events
- A smaller Google, via introductions internally where it matters to startups: Ads, Play, Maps, Chrome, and more
*Cloud Credits are available for startups who have not previously received promotional Cloud credits, and are good for 12 months.
Legal Sponsors Polsinelli
- Pro bono legal services up to $5K for each of the First, Second, and Best Early Stage Startup winners
- “Pitch Perfect” assistance to the First, Second, and Best Early Stage Startup winners, to provide advice and assistance with respect to their pitches at the HBS Alumni NVC
- Free presentations on related start-up legal topics including intellectual property protection and corporate structure matters
Generously provided by HBS Startup Studio
- WeWork common work space access where HBS Startup Studio is housed for May, June and July 2018
- Ability to book HBS Startup Studio conference rooms for May, June and July 2018
- Access to HBS Startup Studio programming
Generously provided by HBS Alumni Angels of Greater NY
Winning teams will receive the opportunity to pitch to HBS Angels of NY
And more!
- Professional production of a promotional company video
- Pitch on stage at the Global Semi-Finals and Finals in Boston (free hotel accommodation and subsidized travel)
- Compete for global prizes
Hear From Past Winners
Anna Auerbach '10, 2017 Regional Winner
“HBS has always been a leader in entrepreneurship, and after hearing fellow classmates experience with NVC, I was excited to participate as soon as Werk’s business was officially launched. I appreciated how founder-friendly it was. So many other comparable models make it onerous for the founder to participate – but this was both easy and fun.”
Stephanie Sarka '90, 2016 Regional Winner
“NVC was a great opportunity to gain exposure and receive feedback on 1Atelier. We met quite a few investors through the competition. The ‘NVC Winner’ title makes our business credible and legitimate, especially to other HBS alumni. Overall, it was an incredible experience.”
Melissa Fensterstock '12, 2014 Regional Winner
“Our advisor–whom we met through the NVC-NY mentorship program–has been an amazing resource, eventually becoming one of our board members. The exposure was great for our business, Aromaflage. Being plugged into the network has been the gift that keeps on giving.”
Key Dates
- November 1, 2017: Application Opens
- December 5, 2017: New York and Northeastern Regional NVC Kickoff Social in New York.
- January 29, 2018: Application Deadline at 11:59pm ET
- February 22, 2018: New York Startup Showcase, where regional finalists will be chosen.
- March 21, 2018: Regional Finals, where finalists pitch live to a panel of judges in New York. Regional winners will be chosen and advance to the semi-finals competition in Boston.
- March 28, 2018: Deadline for regional winners’ materials (pitch deck & 90-second video) for the semi-finals.
- April 17, 2018: Global Semi-finals: Regional winners pitch live to a panel of judges in Boston.
- April 18, 2018: Global Finals Round & NVC Finale: Global finalists pitch live to a panel of prominent VCs. Grand Prize, Runner-Up and Crowd Favorite winners announced.
2018 Judges
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Hisham ElhaddadManaging Partner, HOF Capital
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Susan LynePresident & Managing Partner, BBG Ventures
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David S. RoseFounder and CEO, Gust
NVC Winners
2018 NVC New York and Northeastern Regional Winners
- 2018
- Magma Trading, George Hessler ’85
- Mindprint Learning, Nancy Weinstein ’00
- FitSkin,Inc., Sergio Rattner ’01
- 2017 Werk, Anna Auerbach ’10
- 2016 1 Atelier, Stephanie Sarka ’90
- 2015 BollyX Fitness, Minal Mehta ’11 (which went on to win the $25,000 national award for Most Innovative)
- 2014 Aromaflage, Melissa Fensterstock ‘12
- 2013 Bookalokal, Evelyne White ‘10
- 2012 EnergyGridIQ, Reena Russell ‘03
- 2011 PhytoTEK, Sahil A. Patel ‘05
- 2010 TwoChop, Mo Lam ‘05