Event Details

·  The Shark Tank Competition takes place on a Friday afternoon during the spring semester, usually late February or early March.

Event Description

·  Columbia Business School student teams submit entries through a designated YouTube site several weeks prior to the pitch competition.

·  Students vote on their favorite entries to determine which teams advance to the pitch competition.

·  The top three teams in the concept phase of their venture and developed stage of their venture are invited to participate.

·  Contestants pitch their venture concept to a panel of judges. Pitches are in MS PowerPoint format and are limited to five minutes each.

·  Panel of judges, which includes CBS alumni in the NYC VC entrepreneurship communities, ask questions and provide feedback (five minutes per contestant).

·  Two winners – one from concept and one from developed – are each awarded $7,000 to put toward their venture.

·  The event is open to other students and guests who would like to observe.

Eligibility

·  CBS students with ventures at any stage of development, divided into concept and developed categories.

·  Open to all CBS students, not limited to students in Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization.

·  While each team must include at least one CBS student, team members who are not CBS students may participate.

Application Requirements

·  Teams must upload a video onto the CBS Shark Tank YouTube Channel before the contest deadline.

·  The video may not exceed one minute.

·  No late submissions will be accepted.

Selection Process

·  Members of the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization are invited to vote for their three favorite videos in each category, concept and developed.

·  Voting determines which contestants will be invited to participate in the pitch competition.

·  Three teams from each category will advance.

Evaluation Criteria

·  Contestants who gain entry into the competition submit a business plan to the judges in the period between when the winners are announced and the pitch event.

·  Selected contestants will be evaluated by a panel of venture capitalists and/or entrepreneurs during the pitch competition.

Admission Decisions

·  Results of the CEO vote will be released at least one week prior to Shark Tank.

Questions?

·  Contact: