MBA Venture Challenge

This is an MBA adventure!

Formerly, the MBA Venture Challenge, this program is an integral part of the first year of Texas A&M University’s Full-Time MBA Program. The Challenge asks teams of MBA students to quickly and effectively evaluate early stage firms, providing a clear, unbiased, and business-oriented evaluation of the businesses’ strengths and weaknesses. MBA students deliver a 2 minute elevator pitch as well as a 10 minute “due diligence” presentation to judges from the business and academic community. MBA students are evaluated on both their presentation and analytical skills.

The challenge culminates with presentations before judges from the business, investment and academic communities. Students are challenged to quickly learn a new topic, organize their work, work as a team and apply their classroom lessons in a real world setting.

Companies are based on technologies as diverse as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration, air quality sampling, enzymes extracted from fruit flies, and new road-side safety technology.

In addition to enhancing the MBA educational program, the Venture Challenge is a great way to showcase our students and diverse research portfolio to the business and investment community. Past competitions have results in job offers for students as well as technology licensing discussions.

More information

• Past results
• Become a sponsor
• More information for students
• More information for alumni & community members

Congratulations to our 2012 winners

• First Place: Jenna Beyer, Emil Boehm, Matt Buzby, Joel Cunninghman, D.J. McCarty, Joseph Pluhar; InCellerate
• Second Place: Luke Baker, Mark Herman, Craig Hooker, James Kelly, Jr., Scott Monk; The Patria Group Corp.
• Third Place: Jemison Bartlett, Justin Gibbs, Sarah Hassan, Amey Karnik, Nicholas Vernon; Savara Inc.

A Special Thanks to the 2012 MBA Venture Challenge Sponsors