April 10, 2017 -- Trusted Insight is pleased to announce the finalists for VCDC, a competition that tests MBA students’ venture fundraising and tech startup selection skills. Teams from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, University of Washington - Foster School of Business, University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School, Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business and Harvard University - Harvard Business School will be pitching their investment strategy to a panel of judges composed of top institutional investors.

The judges include Kim Lew, the chief investment officer at Carnegie Corporation, who stated the need for institutional investors to encourage the next generation in an interview with Trusted Insight in 2015. “The biggest benefits to my career and my ability to be a good investor had to do with great sponsorship and great mentorship from talented investors.”

Ms. Lew is joined by David Chiang, managing director of private equity at Soros Fund Management (George Soros’ single-family office), and Jason Klein, chief investment officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a leading healthcare system.  

Having whittled down the applicants to five finalists, the teams will pitch their investment strategy to the judges at the offices of Cooley, a law firm, in New York on Thursday, April 27. The students will be assessed on their venture fundraising and deal selection skills.

The winners of the competition will receive a $4,000 cash prize from Trusted Insight, with $1,000 for the team in second place.

As Kim Lew noted in her 2015 interview: “I would advise people to be intellectually curious and be continually looking for new and interesting things, because it’s awfully hard to say what the next great thing is going to be.”

Learn more about the competition here.