I coached Masala Wala for the University of Chicago’s New Venture Challenge in 2009. They split second place with two other teams. It was a concept for an Indian food restarant. I thought they did a very nice job.
The winners were Bump Technologies that made an iPod application and a company called Nine Naturals that makes shampoo for pregnant women. They were tough competitors.
Since winning the NVC in 2003 I’ve coached six teams. Four have won first place, one has won second place, and one didn’t follow my advice. The other winning teams were:
- Vicarious Communication, Inc (my own company)
- Collectica.com
- Braintree Financial
- CaptainU.com
The New Venture Challenge is a great experience– certainly the most educational part of my MBA.
I also coached the Global NVC in London in 2009. I spent several hours with about 20 teams.