The 2021 Invest for Impact Competition will take place virtually on April 9th. Previous competitions were held on campus at UNC Kenan-Flagler; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct the competition over Zoom. Once invitations are sent out, we encourage teams to register as soon as possible to secure their spot in the competition as it will be first-come first-serve to reserve your spot.
Before the competition (subject to change):
Teams that register will be sent background material to help them start thinking about assessing impact, financing impact, and measuring impact. This information is likely to include; online videos explaining the venture capital method of investing, case studies outlining a range of investment mechanisms, and an online tool for developing impact metrics.
One week before the competition, we will email teams the real business plans of three impact focused entrepreneurs currently seeking funding. Teams will become familiar with the business plans, conduct initial due diligence, make preliminary assessments of impact, and explore potential investment mechanisms. While some work will be necessary prior to the day of the competition, it is not expected that teams will have developed their investment recommendation prior to the competition.
Friday (subject to change):
Teams will have the opportunity to interview the entrepreneurs. Teams should come prepared with questions that will allow them to gain a full appreciation of the potential impact of the business and the potential investment opportunity. Judges will be in the virtual room during these sessions, assessing the teams on their understanding of the key risks associated with each opportunity.
After all of the due diligence sessions are complete, teams will have time to complete any final research and develop their deliverable documents. Each team will then present their investment recommendation to the panel of judges. Teams should expect to field questions from the judges that test the rationale behind their decision.
Once all of the teams have presented, the winners will be announced. The judges will then circulate between the teams and provide feedback.