An interdisciplinary team of entrepreneurship and finance students won first place in the western regional Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC). With over 120 university and graduate school teams competing, VCIC allows students to step into the role of venture capitalists and evaluate three real business opportunities pitched by actual entrepreneurs.
LMU’s team, comprised of Brandon Frith, Ashley Heltzel, Christian Jackson, Tom Lynch, Thomas Ryu and Daniella Vincent, recommended an investment deal to a panel of eight seasoned venture capitalists who were impressed by their preparation, due diligence, presentation skills and ability to build rapport with everyone they met.
“What set LMU apart from other schools was our team’s willingness to leverage their own personal networks to gain deep industry insights related to each company they evaluated,” said Jason D’Mello, associate professor of entrepreneurship.
D’Mello coached the team alongside Mark Hattendorf, clinical professor of entrepreneurship, with help from the LMU Entrepreneurship Society; LA-based entrepreneurs Jake Tannenbaum ’18, Lee Andrews and Jeff Hoffer; and mentors Bryson Ishii ’09, Lew Jaffe and Yash Thukral. All generously shared their time, energy and resources to help the team through the due diligence process.
“I’m a big believer that it’s often what happens beyond the classroom that makes the student experience second to none,” said Dayle Smith, dean of LMU College of Business Administration. “This competition shows the impact of community collaboration when we facilitate this kind of engagement.”
“Winning this global event is a tribute to our talented students, validation of our Entrepreneurship Program and demonstrates how relevant LMU CBA is to today’s business world,” added Hattendorf.
Sophomore finance major Brandon Frith decided to participate in VCIC because he knew the experience would expose his strengths and weaknesses and allow him to grow.
“Beyond the financials, I learned that success as a venture capitalist is about adding value through your network and building rapport through strong interpersonal skills,” he said. “VCIC also taught me about the ‘language of VC’ which can sound like random jargon in the beginning until it becomes second nature.”
Ashley Heltzel, a junior double majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing, tried out for VCIC knowing nothing about venture capital and was shocked to learn she made the team.
“In the last two months, I’ve learned just how much it can pay off to step outside your comfort zone and how important it is to have confidence in yourself,” she said. “This experience has been completely life-changing for me and I’m so grateful I attended that Entrepreneurship Society meeting.”
LMU will compete in the VCIC Global Finals, held April 8-9 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Learn more at vcic.org.
