Business Track
The Business Track of the New Venture Competition provides a unique opportunity for students to put entrepreneurship principles into practice with an integrative learning experience.
Whether you are a winner of prizes, go on to implement your proposed new venture idea, or simply take advantage of the learning and apply it later in your career, we guarantee the Competition will be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience. We look forward to understanding more about your idea, hearing your pitch, and providing you with some valuable feedback along the way.
The Rock Center in collaboration with the Digital, Health Care, and Business & Environment Initiatives, offers the Tough Technology Prize. Through our collective efforts, we want to recognize (co)founders where the venture has challenging proof-points of development typical of tough technology ventures. Tough Tech ventures are those working on transformative technology that solves the world's most important challenges through the convergence of breakthrough science, engineering, and leadership. It can also be thought of as being a breakthrough idea in which founders and investors are not likely to realize an early profit.
How to Register & Key Steps
1
Early-Stage Feedback
(optional)
Deadline: 1 DEC 2023, 12:00 noon EST
Get a head start with some feedback on your venture idea from NVC B-Track Judges.
To receive Early Stage Feedback, register by the Early Deadline - Friday, December 1, 2023 at 12 noon EST.
2
Register
Deadline: 31 JAN 2024, 12:00 noon EST
Registration is now open! Please register through the NVC Competition Website
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The final deadline to register to participate in Super Saturday and submit your pitch deck is Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 12 noon EST. Make sure all of your information (such as team name and team members is up to date). The NVC teams will have until Monday, February 19, 2024 at 12 noon EST to confirm their participation in Super Saturday.
3
Register for optional one-on-one virtual pitch sessions
This year, we are going to have optional pitch sessions for final registrants to practice their pitch for Super Saturday and get additional feedback from experts. If you register for this round, then you will be assigned with an expert who can provide you feedback on your pitch virtually. This round is entirely optional and there is no scoring in this round. Final registrants will receive communication from Rock to register for this round after the final deadline.
4
Pitch Your Plan on Super Saturday
4 MAR 2023
Super Saturday will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023. This is the first round of judging for
the Student Business Track of the HBS New Venture Competition. All the Student B-track
teams will pitch virtually to a panel of judges in this round.
5
Semi-finalists only
Deadline: 2 MAR 2024, 12:00 noon EST
Semi-finalists will be chosen from the Super Saturday Virtual Pitching round. This is a remote judging round (Mar 8-Mar 18), where judges will review the semi-finalists pitch decks/pitch videos to score the teams. Their scores will determine the finalist teams who will pitch at the Final judging round. Revised deck and optional pitch/demo videos are due Thursday, Mar 7, 2024 at 12 noon EST. The teams will be notified of the scores on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
6
Finalists Only
28 MAR 2024
Finalist teams will present in Klarman Hall to a panel of judges on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
7
Attend the NVC Finale Show
(All HBS students)
28 MAR 2024
A winner and runner-up for each of the three tracks will be announced that afternoon at the Finale on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Participating teams require at least one Harvard Business School MBA student who plays a primary role in the business and is present at the Super Saturday judging. The HBS student should be a part of the founding team and a significant equity holder, if equity has been distributed.
Judges are venture capitalists, past winners and Rock Venture Partners, serial founders and angel investors. These investors are looking for ideas that have potential to become the next big idea with significant economic impact.
Early-Stage Feedback allows potential participants in the New Venture Competition to receive guidance on their venture. This is a great opportunity to get feedback on your startup idea from VCs, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.
Nov01
- 01 Nov 2023
NVC Kickoff
Both Tracks
Williams Room
Dec01
- 01 Dec 2023
NVC Early Stage Feedback Deadline
Business Track
Jan31
- 31 Jan 2024
NVC Registration Deadline
Both Tracks
Questions
Send an email to the Rock Center at Rock@hbs.edu with any questions.